Who's John ShinRa?
by AchikaMiyu
Summary: Everyone saw Rufus ShinRa die in the ShinRa Tower when Diamond Weapon attacked, or did they? How does a man go from being on top of the world to becoming a nameless face in the crowd and how does he cope with joining the ranks of his old enemies?COMPLETE
1. Brothers

Note:  I do not own Final Fantasy VII.  Don't sue me.

**Who's John ShinRa?**

**Chapter 1:  Brothers**

            "You know you don't have to do this, it's my job to be there."

            "I understand Mr. President, but it's my job to protect you.  That's why I must go in case Meteor falls on Midgar," the blond-haired man said solemnly.  "Our father would want you to live to ensure ShinRa's survival."

            The other blond-haired man visibly shuddered in disgust at the mention of their father.  "Very well.  But know that I'm doing this for you, not ShinRa.  I hope that we'll meet again," as he extended his hand.

            The other man gripped it firmly and looked sternly at his half-brother, "I want you to hide in my apartment until the incident has been contained and it's safe for you to return to office."

            "It'll never be safe for me, but I'll make sure to take whatever precautions to ensure my livelihood."

            The man released his grip on the other man's hand satisfied with the answer he received.  He turned his back on his half-brother and boarded the helicopter that would take him to Midgar.  Straightening his white suit as the helicopter was lifting up into the air, he turned his attention to the window where he saw the fading image of Rufus on the helipad.

            Almost all his life he aspired to be like his brother.  He even had to dye his hair to become Rufus's mirror image.  He wanted his power, his influence and the attention of their father: things Rufus never lacked.  But he wasn't the son of the late Isabel ShinRa; he was the son of a cheap whore at the Honeybee Inn.  A whore who became a princess for one night and thought she gave birth to a prince.

            Prince John ShinRa wasn't even a title he could honorably wear, at least not one that the late President ShinRa allowed him to.  His brother was the true prince and he was the fake.  All he could do was wear the crown from time to time to protect the real prince from harm.  John closed his eyes and concentrated on changed his facade since he had to pose as his brother while in Midgar.  It always felt refreshing to have all this power: power that would be his if Rufus weren't around.  His lips turned into a smirk as he grabbed his cell-phone to set a plan in motion that would let him keep his brother's crown.

_____

End of Chapter 1:  Brothers

A/N:  This is just the tip of the iceberg folks.  Expect updates between two to three weeks.  


	2. The Prince

Note:    I do not own Final Fantasy VII.  Boogity boogity-boo!

**Chapter 2:  The Prince**

            Rufus ShinRa walked back to his office in Junon and scanned the various bits of paper on his desk.  He needed to work, but something nagged at the pit of his stomach.  He was familiar with this emotion but always had to conceal it for Rufus ShinRa never bled or cried; or so the rumors said.  But he knew better because Rufus ShinRa was afraid.  Though his face never gave any indication of his fear, his body trembled slightly as he looked out the window at the large meteor gradually descending closer to the earth.  He realized that even with John in Midgar, he would still perish should the giant rock slam into the ground.  

            All his hopes now lie in the hands of a rebel group called AVALANCHE.  A small smirk appeared while thinking about the AVALANCHE Group.  They had such simple needs and wants.  Granted, they also practiced their ideals through force and violence, the only difference was that they did it because they cared about the welfare of planet.  

            He remembered the first time he ever met the AVALANCHE group.  That was when he had heard the news about his father's death.  He wanted to see for his own eyes that his father had indeed been killed by Sephiroth.  Augustus ShinRa, the man who ruled his company with an iron-fist.  His father never had any faith in anything except money and power.  He even cheated on Rufus's mother and bore many bastard sons, one of them being his half-brother John.  Hatred was not a strong enough word to describe his feelings for that man.

            He wanted to change the company when he finally took office.  He even called himself the 'New Age President ShinRa,' but ShinRa's reputation always preceded his intent.  Rufus knew that he could do more for the company: to reform it from what his father had done.  He wanted to settle the long debate whether he was different from his father: that he didn't inherit the old man's nature.  But he followed in his father's footsteps proving that nature had won the battle and he was indeed the son of the devil.

            Rufus stared at the marbled floors and modern architecture that graced all offices of ShinRa to ostentatiously display the company's greatness.  ShinRa walls are not made with honesty and hard work.  Rufus knew that it was all a façade to hide the blackmail, deceit and fraud that had been built into the infrastructure.  There was nothing that ShinRa couldn't obtain through either money or force.  He stood behind his desk where he was capable of wielding the greatest power in the world with only a word; however, Rufus ShinRa felt helpless.

            Rufus's silent reveries were interrupted when a ShinRa guard came to his office to report the current situation.  "President ShinRa, sir," the guard saluted.

            Rufus turned to face the guard and his face soured as he saw the trepidation resounding through the young boy's body.  The ShinRa name struck fear into his soldier's hearts and he hated it.

            "At ease solider.  The President is on his way to Midgar.  I'm his body-double," Rufus said to ease the tension, relieved that no one except the Turks could tell the difference between the two and even fewer knew that John was his brother.

            "Oh, sorry sir," the guard said as he relaxed.  "I guess they left you here just in case, huh?"

            "Yeah, I guess," Rufus shrugged.

            "But in case you need to know, intelligence reports that the AVALANCHE group have recovered their leader, Cloud Strife," the guard said as he stood slouched, a position he would never attempt if he were around President ShinRa.  "I wonder what that group is up to?  Hopefully our guys will get them."

            "Yes, hopefully," Rufus said as he digested the information carefully.  He knew that the group was trying to stop Sephiroth, but he didn't think it was possible.

            "But I best be getting back to my post," the guard sighed.  He lazily saluted and left Rufus alone in his office.

            Left with nothing else to do, Rufus resigned to make his way to his brother's apartment and wait until he received any communications from him.  It was the standard procedure that they had agreed upon should there be an emergency of this scale.  John had been the one who took the initiative to formulate this secondary precaution.  Unfortunately they had to finally execute it.  ShinRa always had protocols to ensure the safety of their executives, the President being the top priority.  He never thought that this day would come.

            Rufus finally made it to John's apartment in Upper Junon and opened the door with the key he was given.  The room was very simple and neat.  There were numerous books on economics and politics on his bookshelf and several supplies of blond-hair dye to bleach John's naturally light brown hair.  Rufus was envious of the normal life his brother led.  John was never pressured with the obligation of having to run a large corporation.  He never had his actions analyzed and ridiculed by his father.  John also had the freedom to choose his own destiny, but Rufus was named the head of his father's company falling deeper into the prison his father built for him.

            Walking towards the various shelves, Rufus studied the spines of all the books looking for anything that might spark his interest.  He was only able to scan a few books when a knock on the door interrupted him.  He opened the door only to find another ShinRa guard standing outside saluting.

            "John, I have orders from President ShinRa for you," the solider said as he kept his stiff posture.

            "Go ahead," Rufus said as he leaned against the doorframe.

            "The President asks that you return your hair back to your natural color and stay in your residential quarters in Upper Junon until the Meteor threat has been disposed of," the solider said in almost one breath.

            Rufus stared blankly at the solider after hearing these orders.  It was strange to get this message from John since it didn't quite seem to follow the protocol they had agreed to.  "May I speak with President ShinRa?"

            "Unfortunately, I can not allow that, sir.  He has specifically ordered me to keep you under house-arrest and to keep a communication block for your protection," the solider again spouted out.

            "Very well, you may go then," Rufus sighed in defeat, tempted to scold the solider for prohibiting communications, but didn't want to raise any suspicion over his true identity.

            The guard saluted and left Rufus at John's apartment, but not before posting another guard at the door as ordered.

            Rufus stood in the room perplexed by the recent turn of events.  He remembered that the precautionary procedures he and his brother agreed to state that the Turks should escort the President, posing as his own body-double, to the Lower Junon bunker.  Rufus wanted to call one of the guards and ask him to take him to the bunker, but right now he wasn't the President who was giving the orders.  _What are you planning John?_

_____


	3. The Pauper

Note:    I do not own Final Fantasy VII

**Chapter 3:  The Pauper**

            John ShinRa smiled as Midgar came into view along the horizon.  He had finished a phone call with some of his generals in Junon to ensure the total seclusion of his brother to keep him from meddling in his plans.

            He thought Rufus was a fool for agreeing to stay in Junon.  Now all of ShinRa was under his control.  He could finally fulfill his dreams and become the true son of his father and sole ruler of the ShinRa Empire.  There were going to be no more obstacles interfering with him and his ambitions.

            "Mister President, we've arrived," one of his guards said as he opened the door to the chopper.

            "Very good.  Have a team monitor the trail of AVALANCHE and another team retrieve the canon on Junon.  We're going to build a weapon," John said calmly.

            John ShinRa walked through the halls of the great ShinRa building proudly.  Soon, all of this would be his.  He reached his office and looked out the window to gaze upon his kingdom.  He had his agenda: first, destroy AVANLANCE; second, capture and contain Sephiroth; third, find the promised land; and finally, kill Rufus.

            John pulled out two dog tags that hung from his neck.   'Jonathan Adacus ShinRa,' his true name.  He wanted to rip the dog tags off to shred his last reminder of who he really was, but he couldn't assume complete control of Rufus' kingdom until his brother was of no further use to him.

            The buzz of the intercom sounded as his secretary's . . . no Rufus's secretary's voice rang through, "Mister President, sir.  Everyone's waiting for you in the conference room."

            "I'll be down in a minute," John said as he pushed the intercom button.

            He quickly dropped his dog tags underneath the layers of his suit and walked the short distance to the conference room.  He opened the double doors to find all of his executives ready to obey his orders.  Striding confidently to the head of the table, he brushed his hair back before addressing them.  

            "Gentlemen, we have work to do."

            Rufus ShinRa crawled out of bed and made the short distance to the bathroom.  Turning the lights on, he was shocked at his appearance.  His once golden blond hair was now a light brown, dyed to match his brother's natural hair color as ordered by the ShinRa guards.  A bit of stubble was adorning his face as he searched the bathroom for a razor.

            He had been kept as his brother's flat in Junon for the last few weeks.  A guard was posted at his door constantly preventing him from leaving the small room.  The guards rarely ever spoke to Rufus, assuming that he was President ShinRa's body-double.  Though Rufus was unable to milk any information from the guards, he assumed by the way they were keeping him captive, they suspected him of treason against the corporation, a charge only John could conceive and execute.  Rufus was grateful that ShinRa at least had the courtesy to feed him everyday and give him the morning paper.

            Through the paper, he learned that his brother had commandeered the canon in Junon to make a massive weapon named the Sister Ray.  He also learned that they still hadn't captured AVALANCHE and the Weapons were still terrorizing the planet.  Rufus didn't appreciate how his brother decided to take his company from under him.  He should have been more careful and cautious, but he trusted his brother, trusted that his brother wanted to clean the corruption and dirt his father had left.  Rufus was wrong.  He had always seen his brother as the silent man who would do what he was told.  In all the years that he knew John, that was exactly what he did; however, John's loyalty was all a farce.  

            It was when Rufus was jotting down some notes on the budget problem to ease his boredom.  He had dropped his pencil on the floor and watched it roll under the bed.  Aggravated, he dropped to his knees to find the writing utensil, but in doing so found a loose floorboard where the pencil had rolled under.  Normally, Rufus wouldn't have given this anomaly a second thought, but he was confined to his brother's room and curiosity got the better of him.  Underneath the floorboard were documents that sent shivers down his spine.  

            Rufus read notes, maps and various documents all detailing the ShinRa family Wills, trusts and bank accounts.  John also kept a journal detailing his ambitions and plans.  There were numerous sheets of paper where John had been practicing Rufus's signature and handwriting.  Among the documents was an old silk handkerchief that belonged to his late father.  Rufus stared in disbelief at the different papers and items laid before him.  For the past five years, John had been plotting his downfall.  

            Washing his face of the excess shaving cream, Rufus let his steel-blue eyes gaze upon his features in the mirror.  He had always been raised to appear regal and commanding, but now Rufus ShinRa looked ordinary.  This was a look he hadn't seen on him since his mother was still alive.  Pushing those thoughts aside, Rufus tried to concentrate on his immediate problem.  He needed to plan his escape, but so far he hadn't found any options that wouldn't leave him dead or captured.  He had to get out of Junon and find Reno and Rude.  They were the only Turks who could tell the difference between himself and John.  Though it would be difficult to convince all his executives, he would have the loyalty of his Turks and no one crossed the Turks.  

            He had been quietly observing the guard patterns. He knew that his best option was to wait until night when the more careless guard took over.  He would make some small talk with the guard before knocking him out and switching clothes with him.  After that was done, he would have to wait until morning when the guard shift took place.  That still only gave him an hour to leave Junon before the replacement guard would enter the room to give him his usual breakfast and discover that he was gone.

            Glancing down at his watch, he knew that he still had at least ten more hours before the guard change: ten hours to decide what to do after he regained his freedom.  He knew he needed to stop John from bring ShinRa further down the path it was already on, but there was the question of how he was going to get to Midgar and find the Turks.  Had he known that the events would turn out like this, he would have never let John board that chopper in his place.  

            Rufus shook his head in frustration.  Now was not the time to regret his past actions.  He had to focus his thoughts and energies onto the task at hand.  He had to remain optimistic, but also be prepared for a world that would only see him as a normal man should he not be successful in convincing the Turks that he is the real Rufus ShinRa.

_____


	4. To bleed and to cry

Note:    I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 4:  To bleed and to cry**

            John ShinRa looked out from his father's old office and marveled at the sight before him.  The Sister Ray stood ready to fire at his command.  Lines of mako were already being pumped into the canon to charge it.  Everything was going according to his plans.  

            He was no longer going to be his brother's shadow living in the team of obscurity.  It was now John's turn to shine.  He was finally going to become the true son of the late President ShinRa, known forever in the history books as the son of a wealthy politician not some spawn of a no-name whore.

            Now that dream was finally coming true.  The only things that were standing in his way of fully completing it were Sephiroth and Rufus.  Rufus ShinRa, his spoiled half-brother who got all of his father's attention and power.  How much he hated him.  He was the reason he was employed as a mere body-double rather than some high ranking official.  John deserved the lap of luxury, not Rufus.  Rufus was handed everything to him whereas John had to fight and struggle to earn his keep.

            The first thirteen years of John's life were hellish.  His mother would constantly be working at the HoneyBee Inn, leaving John to fend for himself most days.  John wished for any hope that would lead him to a better life.  Eventually, his mother would give him that hope: the only thing he appreciated from the woman who bore him into the world.

            He remembered the first time his mother mentioned his father and how he was actually an heir to a great kingdom, it was a godsend to him.  He recounted the endless nights when he would stare at the ShinRa Tower and tell himself that he was going to go up there, even before he learned of his lineage.  John had never forgotten that last conversation with his mother.  She was dying from some disease she caught working the streets and breathing her final breaths.  It was then that he learned he was the son of the great President ShinRa.

***

            "John, come here my son," the dying woman said as she slowly gasped for air.  "I know I haven't been a great mother to you, and I'm sorry.  But I don't want you to worry after I die."

            The woman began coughing again and John rushed to her side ready to aide her in her last moments.  After containing her coughs, she pulled out a handkerchief that John had never seen before.  

            "This handkerchief belongs to your father who is a very powerful man.  Take this and go to him."

            John obeyed his mother and took the silk handkerchief.  The initials of A.R.S. were seen embroidered on one of the edges.  "Who . . . who's my father?"

            "The great President ShinRa," she said stifling some tears.  "I haven't spoken or seen him since I told him I was pregnant with you, but I know he'll remember me.  He told me long ago that he loved me.  Just show him the handkerchief."

            John simply nodded in response still trying to digest the information his mother was telling him.  He heard his mother cough some more, but these coughs were much harsher and more violent.  The erratic beeping of the monitors almost couldn't be heard over her coughs.  John held onto his mother's hand as she flailed in her last death throes.

            One last breath escaped her lips as she uttered her last words, "Augustus."

            The nurses and doctors came too late to do anything for the woman as they rushed into the room.  The monitors all buzzed in unison as they fruitlessly applied CPR in the vain hope that they could save her.  But she was gone and John watched helplessly as the doctors finally gave up.

            John never cried that day.  He only held his mother's last gift to him tightly in his right hand and thought deeply about what he should do next.  The only thing the doctors and nurses could offer were their condolences and help with the burial arrangements.  After making sure that all the paperwork had been done to arrange his mother's burial, he stuffed the silk handkerchief in his trousers and walked off towards the ShinRa Tower leaving his life as he knew it behind.

            It took him an hour to finally make it to the building from the hospital.  The building's towering mass of concrete and steel appeared to mock him as he slowly made his way towards the building.  John brushed off the bits of dust riddling his tattered clothes, embarrassed at his appearance.  Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on the glass double doors and pulled to open the doors to his future.

            The inside of the building was as intimidating as the outside, only painted white.  He marched up to the receptionist's desk and boldly stood.  "I want to see President ShinRa."

            The older woman stared at the young boy and cocked her eyebrow in a mocking manner.  "Do you have an appointment?"

            "No, but I need to see him," John replied defiantly.  He pulled the handkerchief out of his pocket and held it in front of the woman.  "I am his son."

            "Young man, President ShinRa is a very busy man and can't be bothered by such trivial matters," she said while rolling her eyes, ignoring the silk handkerchief in her face.

            He argued back and forth with the stubborn woman until the elevator doors opened and a large man walked out flanked by well-dressed men in blue-suits.  The man was wearing a very expensive white suit and being briefed by an equally large man who was balding.  Looking at the man in the white suit, he saw an image of himself forty years from now and he knew that he had found his father.

            John quickly ran over to President ShinRa, but was stopped by one of his bodyguards.

            "President ShinRa, I need to speak to you," John shouted at the man.

            But the man seems too engrossed in what one of his executives was saying to even notice the boy.

            John struggled against the bodyguard, but was only able to pry one of his hands free, the one holding the handkerchief.

            "President ShinRa, I'm your son and this is my proof!" John shouted while waving the silk fabric around.

            The President finally took notice of the boy as he turned his head towards the struggle.  Cold blue eyes met innocent blue as President ShinRa walked up to the boy and took the handkerchief to inspect it carefully.

            "Where did you get this boy?" the man said sternly while scrutinizing John with his eyes.

            "It was my mother's . . . sir.  She said it belonged to my father . . . you," John said carefully.

            "That's preposterous!  President ShinRa could never have fathered such a dirty child like you!" the balding executive spoke-up, pointing an accusatory finger at John.  "You probably stole this handkerchief from someone in the upper plates and . . ."

            "Palmer!  That's enough!" President ShinRa raised his voice to silence the man.

            President ShinRa again examined the handkerchief before handing it back to John and motioned for his guard to release him.  Reaching into his vest pocket, the President pulled out another handkerchief that looked exactly the same as the one John held in his hands.

            "I've given out many of these to women who have thoroughly pleased me in bed.  I never expected to get one of them back," he said while blowing his nose on his handkerchief.

            John stood there stunned at what he was hearing.  His mother had been convinced that President ShinRa would remember her, but she was nothing to him but a good orgasm.

            "So boy, what's your name?" President ShinRa asked.

            "John, sir.  Jonathan Adacus," he replied trying to hold back the anger rising in his voice.

            "John?  What a plain name.  Where's your mother, John?" the man asked without any hint of compassion.

            "She's dead, sir," John said solemnly.  "She died today."

            "I guess you expect me to take you in since you say you're my son," President ShinRa glared at the boy with eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul.

            John was speechless.  He never planned on being interrogated.  Though it was true that he expected to be taken in, he wasn't sure how to answer the man staring him down.  He ran his right hand nervously through his brown hair.

            "I have nowhere else to go, sir," John said defeated as he rested his eyes on his torn and tattered shoes.

            President ShinRa bit his lip in displeasure over the boy's reply.  Turning to Palmer, he motioned for his PHS and dialed a series of numbers.

            "Heidegger, this is the President speaking.  I'm sending you a boy who I want you to train as Rufus's body-double.  He's to be taught all the skills and lessons that Rufus learns, understood?  His name's John.  His last name?  That's of no consequence, just train him," President ShinRa finished the call as he returned the phone to Palmer.  He then bent in to whisper something to Palmer before continuing his original trek outside the ShinRa Tower flanked by his bodyguards.

            John stood there perplexed as to what had transpired.  He watched the fading figure of his father as he left the ShinRa Tower.  The man never turned around once to say good-bye to the boy.  If it weren't for the brash hand shaking his shoulder, John would have remained glued to the floor with his eyes fixed on the double-doors of the ShinRa building.

            "Boy, come with me," the executive named Palmer said brusquely.

            "Where are we going?" John said confused.

            "To Junon, but first we're getting you cleaned and dying your hair.  Now hurry-up before the President changes his mind," snapping at John.

            The next few days were surreal to John as the balding executive toted him around from place to place getting him clothes, feeding him and most perplexing of all, forcing him to dye his hair blond.

            John studied his image in a mirror on the helicopter that was taking them to Junon.  His newly cut and dyed hair made him resemble the President even more.  John warmed up to the idea that he was actually being accepted, though he hadn't seen his father since he saw him exiting the ShinRa Tower at their first meeting.  

            The copter landed and Palmer escorted him out, leading him to a spacious office in the heart of Junon.  A large bearded man in military attire greeted him at the door.

            "You must be John, I'm General Heideggar," the man extended his hand and shook John's hand roughly.  "I've been ordered to train you as Rufus's body-double, now come along."

            Heidegger walked stiffly towards another room, expecting John to follow.  When the pair entered the room, he received quite a shock as the mirror image of him with his newly dyed hair and clothes seemed to be staring back at him.  The other boy was around the same age and had the same cool blue eyes as President ShinRa.  He wore a neatly pressed white suit distinguishably, contrasting greatly with John's sloppily worn gray suit.

            "Rufus, I'd like you to meet John.  He's going to be studying and training with you from now on," Heideggar said while patting his swelling belly.  "Your father wants him to be your body-double.  John, this is Rufus ShinRa, the President's son."

            John's eyes widened after hearing that the boy in front of him was his half-brother.  He saw Rufus stand-up and extended his hand in a friendly handshake.  John took it firmly and looked into the other boy's eyes noticing how bored they looked.

            "Pleased to make your acquaintance.  I'm sure we'll be able to work well together," Rufus spoke eloquently.

            "Yeah, nice to meet you too," John smiled awkwardly.  His smile soon turned into a frown as a sharp sting was felt across the back of his legs.

            John turned his head to find Heideggar with a switch in his hand looking quite cross.

            "If you intend on becoming Rufus's body-double, you first need to learn how to address people properly," Heideggar yelled.

            John wanted to lash out at the large man and pummel him like he did other kids or adults on the streets of the Midgar slums, but he knew it was not the time nor the place for that.  

            "Yes, sir," he replied with little emotion.

            Heideggar was pleased with John's quick obedience and wasted no time in starting his training.  John had never been able to keep up with his studies when his mother was alive: it simply wasn't necessary.  But now that he was under the care of General Heidegger, he had to learn all the advanced subjects that Rufus has been studying in order to become the proper body-double for the President's son.

            It had been a few weeks since he began his training with Rufus and he found himself slowly catching up with Heideggar's rigorous training.  John was having difficulty keeping up with his studies, but education was only one of the many things that he had to learn. He was also taught how to shoot by one of the President's bodyguard's, the Turks.  The one who taught Rufus and John everything about sharp shooting was the Turk named Tseng. 

            Tseng was a quiet man who knew how to do his job correctly and effectively.  John had never seen anyone as skilled at a gun as he was.  During one of their training sessions, John had openly expressed his admiration for the Turks phenomenal skills.

            "Tseng, you truly are the best marksman I have ever seen," John said with praise.

            "I appreciate your compliment Jonathan, but I'm not the best that ShinRa has ever seen," Tseng said in a calm voice.

            "I certainly haven't seen anyone better at a gun than you and I have been here longer than John has," Rufus interjected, agreeing with his half-brother.

            "I assure you Master Rufus, there was another."

            "Was?" John questioned.

            "Yes, was.  He was a Turk long before I started as one.  I looked up to him as my mentor even though we never met," Tseng said with a hint of admiration.

            "What was his name?" Rufus asked intrigued by the Turk's compassion.

            "Vincent Valentine," Tseng said sadly.  "He was the best marksman ShinRa ever saw, but not the best Turk."

            "Killed in battle?" John asked.

            "No, worse.  He fell in love," Tseng said flatly.

            Rufus and John looked at each other slightly confused as to what Tseng was implying about Mr. Valentine's fate.  They wanted to ask more questions but Tseng informed them both that they had strayed too far off their training talking about a petty subject.  Though Tseng thought otherwise, John considered him to be the best marksman in all of ShinRa.  

            Tseng was also the one who had ordered him to wear the dog tags at President ShinRa's request.  The name 'Jonathan Adacus ShinRa' was engraved on the tag and he thought it was a symbol of his father's acceptance.  John wore the tags proudly and swore to never take it off, obliging to his father's orders.  He wondered if his half-brother also wore dog tags around his neck bearing his name.

            John had gotten along with Rufus, but they rarely had time to talk amongst themselves as they trained constantly day in and day out.  Rufus didn't appear to hold any resentment towards him after learning that he was his half-brother.  In fact, John thought his half-brother took the news almost too calmly, as if he expected it.  Rufus was also very quiet and didn't appear to enjoy living in Junon.  John had never heard his half-brother speak about their father and whenever President ShinRa was mentioned, John noticed how Rufus's face seemed to darken.  

            Rufus rarely fought with John or even instigated any tension.  It slightly irritated John that his half-brother acted more like a business associate to him rather than family.  He concluded that it was the lack of interaction with other kids his own age that made his half-brother appear so stiff and proper.  John tried his best to get along with Rufus during their training together, but that never meant that he had to like his half-brother.

            He felt like he was finally grasping most of Rufus's studies and gradually becoming more proficient with a shotgun.  John hadn't seen their father during his training and hoped that one day he would visit so he could impress him with his progress.  One day while the two boys were at the shooting range, the President paid the boys a visit.  John remembered that he and Rufus were both wearing identical training gear and it was almost impossible to tell the two apart.  But when the President came to inspect the boys, he leaned over to Tseng who then pointed to Rufus.  John watched as President ShinRa walked past him and headed for Rufus.

            "How are your studies going son?" President ShinRa asked Rufus as he looked at him sternly.

            "Very well father, thank you for asking," Rufus replied almost bitterly.  

            John stood there in shock as President ShinRa continued to talk to Rufus and ignored him.  He felt completely invisible while his father talked to his half-brother and didn't so much as bother to acknowledge his presence.  What was it about Rufus that made their father favor him so much?  John knew that his mother was nothing more than a prostitute, but he was also President ShinRa's son and he expected to be honored as a ShinRa like his brother Rufus.

            Jealousy and anger boiled in the body of the young boy as he looked at his half-brother with contempt.  Rufus didn't even appear to enjoy their father's company or even show an interest in taking over the company.  John could still see that boredom in Rufus's eyes as he watched the pair talking.  Why wasn't their father talking to him?  

            President ShinRa finished talking to Rufus and started walking towards John.  John straightened his demeanor and stood tall anticipating President ShinRa to ask him the same questions he had asked Rufus.  But the President walked past John without even giving the boy so much as a glance or nod of approval.  John exhaled and let his shoulders slump as he heard his father walk back inside.  

            John was tempted to call to his father, but Tseng ordered John and Rufus to resume their sharp-shooting lessons.  John stole a glance at Rufus who was too engrossed on aiming at his targets.  Rufus ShinRa, the privileged boy who was born legitimately into the life of comfort and fame.  The only known son of the great President ShinRa unlike himself who was a bastard.  He wanted to make his father proud, he wanted to show the world that Jonathan ShinRa was not a ratty kid off the streets of Midgar.  He wanted the world to know who he was so that his father would one day acknowledge him as one of his sons.  

***

            That day had been the catalyst for John's desires to excel above his half-brother and take ShinRa for himself.  He had never forgotten it, as how he had never lost sight of his dreams.  He worked hard to become Rufus's exact double so no one could tell the difference between them.  He had done such a good job over the years that none of the ShinRa executives that knew of their blood relation could tell them apart.  There were only four people who tell them apart and they were President ShinRa, Tseng, Rude and Reno.  Both his father and Tseng were dead, leaving Rude and Reno left to identify him.

            John knew that if the Turks were in Midgar, they would immediately figure out he wasn't the real President.  He was fortunate that Rufus had hired the newest edition to the Turks, Elena.  Her loquacity and loyalty helped send the two Turks on a side quest to the sunken Gelnika leaving no one in the ShinRa corporation left capable of identifying him.  Elena had been too overenthusiastic to receive a mission order directly from the President allowing John to keep his distance from Rude and Reno.  John knew that he couldn't evade the Turks forever and hoped that the pair wouldn't survive their expedition to the Gelnika; however, should they make it out alive, John was ready to send them on a suicide mission into the heart of the Northern Crater against Sephiroth.

            Once all of his enemies have been destroyed, John will have finally shed his skin of a Midgar street kid to become a son of an aristocratic bloodline.  He had never been able to escape his past as the son of a whore and a mere body-double, but now he finally had his opportunity as he looked out upon Midgar from the President's office.  The Sister Ray was about to fire and he was ready to give the command.

            The static on the intercom interrupted his thoughts as he heard the cackling of Scarlet's voice on the intercom.

            "President Rufus, a Weapon and AVALANCHE have been spotted outside Midgar along the coastline." 

            "They are not my immediate concern at this moment in time Scarlet, I need to know whether or not the Sister Ray is ready," John barked through the intercom.

            "But, President Rufus, sir!"   

            John visibly flinched when he heard her call him Rufus.  He wanted to correct her, but now was not the time.  "No buts Scarlet!  We'll deal with the Weapon and AVALANCHE after we break that barrier around the Northern Crater.  Do you understand?"

            "Yes, sir.  The Sister Ray is ready to fire on your command," Scarlet resigned.

            "Very well then, FIRE!"

            John refocused his attentions to the window and frowned as he saw a Weapon blocking his view.  He was about to punch the intercom to speak with Scarlet but stopped when he saw a beam of energy surge through the Sister Ray and blast a hole in the Weapon.

            John ShinRa smirked as he saw the Weapon slowly fall it its knees, still smoldering with smoke rising from its chest.  He almost laughed before his eye caught various bolts of energy racing toward the ShinRa Tower.

            Before he could fully comprehend what was going on he heard Scarlet's cackle over the intercom, "President ShinRa, get out of the office!"

            He soured at the thought that this was going to be his end.  He had his goal within his reach that his fingers were almost touching it.  He was so close to finally becoming the true President ShinRa.  In a last act of desperation he tried to hide under the desk, hoping that would save him.  Despite his futile act, the bolts of energy met their target and destroyed the great ShinRa Presidential Office.  No one could have survived the blast, not even a man who had never bled or cried.

_____

A/N:     Now for the interesting task of finally writing the members of AVALANCHE into the story.  Yes, they will take part in the grand scheme of things.  You'll get to hear about what I do to the whole gang two chapters from now.  Next chapter is about Rufus.


	5. Into the Great Wide Open

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 5: Into the Great Wide Open **

Rufus patiently waited until he heard the night guard make his way to the door to relieve the current guard. He heard muffled voices as the two guards chatted for a few minutes, but Rufus wasn't interested in their conversations.

A light knock on the door broke his concentration as he stared at the wooden door slightly baffled. They had never disturbed him at this late an hour before. _Could it be that I'm too late?_ Rufus feared the worst as he cautiously opened the door and waited for the guards to state their business.

"It looks like you're out of a job," the night guard said with a lopsided smile.

_Out of a job? Was that some new code to let prisoners know they were to be executed?_ "What do you mean I'm out of a job?" Rufus asked with a hint of trepidation in his voice.

"You haven't heard?!? A Weapon attacked Midgar today. President ShinRa's dead!" the guard said a bit too enthusiastically.

"De . . . dead?" Rufus said in disbelief.

"Yeah! Some Weapon came out of the ocean and iced the ShinRa Tower with the President in it. There's no way anyone could've survived that," the guard said while leisurely slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

"Who's running ShinRa right now?"

"Scarlet and Heidegger. Weird pairing I tell ya. But their orders were to let you go since there's no need to keep you around," the solider shrugged.

Rufus couldn't believe that the two most arrogant of his executives were running his corporation. He couldn't picture them running a marathon without their egos tripping them over. He also couldn't believe that John was dead. Now he'd never be able to know what his half-brother had been planning. He looked at the guards and hoped that they had some answers to his questions.

"Hey, do you know why President ShinRa was holding me here?"

"Sorry pal. I've got no clue. Do you?" the night guard turned to his comrade looking for any answers.

"Nope. I was just told to keep you here until we were given further orders. Guess you were supposed to be out of the way so the President could face the problem of Sephiroth and Meteor on his own," the guard answered.

"Yeah, I guess," Rufus said slightly disappointed.

"But I wouldn't worry about it buddy. You're a free man now and you can blow this joint if you want to. If I were you, I'd high tail it outta here," the night guard said boisterously.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Rufus forced a chuckle.

"No problem man. Me and my buddy here are going to go drink since he's off his shift and I don't have one anymore. If you want, you can come and join us," the night guard said while patting the other guard strongly on his back.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll follow your advice and leave Junon."

"Ok, you take care of yourself," the guard said as he left with his comrade towards the bar.

Rufus watched as the guards sauntered off. It was the first time since he arrived in John's apartment that there had not been a guard posted in front of his door. This was his first taste of freedom.

_(break)_

"Nicholas, have you heard the news?"

"Yes, I have mother. President Rufus ShinRa is dead," the man said with a smirk.

"Yes indeed he finally is. This is a big day for you my son. This is the day we've been waiting for," the middle-aged woman said with a sneer.

"I hope you have that proof that will show that I'm one of the late President Augustus ShinRa's bastard children," Nicholas scoffed.

"Don't you dare call yourself a bastard," the woman shouted as she slapped her son. "You were born before my dear Auggie even touched his so called wife, Isabel. You were born before Rufus ShinRa was even a thought in anyone's minds. Do remember that."

"I will mother. Just do remember that if and when I take over the ShinRa Corporation, you will have nothing to do with the decisions I make or how I decide to run the company. Is that understood?" Nicholas seethed while grabbing his mother's wrist in a vice-like grip.

"As you wish my boy. I just want you in your rightful place behind the desk of the President. That's my only goal," the woman said as she glared back at her son. "You know, even though you never met your father, you sound more and more like him everyday."

"Except I'll do better at keeping my pants on and my corporation as a world power. Everyone will know my name when I become President," Nicholas said as he released his mother's wrist. "Everyone."

_(break)_

Rufus checked his bags to make sure that he had everything he needed. He had packed some clothes, food and various maps of the world to help him. He made sure that he dressed simply so he wouldn't arouse any suspicion about his background as Rufus ShinRa.

He knew that the world thought Rufus ShinRa was dead and proclaiming himself as the real Rufus would only cause Scarlet and Heidegger to order his capture or worse, his assassination. He knew how those two worked while in power. They were like children with candy, once they get a taste they don't want to give it up.

He ran his hair through his brown hair and frowned. He wished he could dye his hair back to its normal color. He'd have to wait until he can talk to the Turks and hope that they would recognize him as the real Rufus ShinRa. If he had the backing of the Turks, then Scarlet and Heidegger could do nothing to him. Right now, he needed to pose as an everyman so he can get to Midgar safely.

Quickly slinging the bag of supplies over his shoulder, Rufus left John's apartment and walked towards the elevator that would take him to Lower Junon. It felt odd for him to walk around without an escort of one of his executives blabbing on about ShinRa business.

The people around him didn't pay him any mind and no one seemed to even notice him as he made his way towards the elevator. For the second time in his life, he was simply a normal human being. The first time he had this feeling had been long ago when he was ten years old.

He remembered how he had snuck out of his room late at night and walked out into the town. He was able to walk around the town freely without his father hovering over him and scrutinizing him. There were no Turks to escort him around and no tutors to enrich him with mindless ramblings about history or mathematics. He was free to do whatever he pleased.

There were so many things that Rufus envisioned doing that night of his excursion: simple things like catching fireflies or climbing a tree. But he only did one thing that night and it was something he hadn't planned. That night Rufus was lured by the beautiful sound of the piano resonating from under the window of a girl's room. He had also learned how to play the piano, but not with the feeling and passion that this girl had. Somehow the soft melody she played enchanted him and he spent his one-night of freedom relishing in the simple pleasures of music. The girl even noticed Rufus and talked to him.

He remembered every detail about the girl, how her hair flowed along her body like water. She looked his age, but she had a smile that radiated the good life she was living. They didn't talk about anything in particular and Rufus didn't care. He simply loved carrying an honest conversation with her about things that ten year-olds only cared about. Rufus blushed slightly as he recalled that he never asked for her name. His memory could clearly recall the white dress she wore, her vibrant dark eyes and the beautiful melody she played note for note. That girl was the only childhood friend he ever had, even if it was only for one night.

Rufus never forgot that night nor did he regret losing his one chance to do some of the other things he had dreamed of doing. He wished that he could return to that night and hear her play the piano once more or even ask for her name. His father never gave him the chance as the next day he was transferred to Junon to begin his training. He had always treasured that memory because he thought that he wouldn't ever be able to taste freedom ever again.

He finally reached the elevator and shut his eyes as he felt the lift descending. He opened them as the doors to the elevator were parting, clearing the way to his new life. Rufus took one deep breath before taking his first few steps out into the world. He was able to blend in with the people around him. He felt so normal, but he didn't resent it. In fact, he relished it.

Rufus walked out into the open fields outside of Junon and marveled at the beauty of the green grass and the blue sky. Towering metal, material comforts and advanced technology paled in comparison to Nature's beauty. His eyes then landed on the giant Meteor in the sky and his brow furrowed in disgust. Meteor tainted the sky's ethereal blue. He hated his father for playing a role in the events leading up to Meteor's casting. Rufus started to ball his fists up, but relaxed when he also realized that he was also to blame for Meteor because he didn't do anything to change the way his father ran things.

The feeling of guilt washed over Rufus like a tidal wave that would have sent him to his knees were it not for his resolve. Rufus was only in office for a short time. It was enough time to establish his name and start implementing plans to make the corporation better, but not enough to change the effects of longs years of corruption. He knew how to correct his father's mistakes and his mistakes. He only needed to be given the opportunity.

He pulled out one of John's maps to see how to get to Midgar. After studying the map for a few minutes, Rufus realized that it would take him weeks to get to Midgar by foot. He knew that he would be too late when he finally reached Midgar. He needed to find a faster route or a means of transportation, but wasn't sure where to start. He had never needed to find any other outside means of transport since he had been taken anyplace he wanted, courtesy of ShinRa, Inc. He had learned how to drive, but never given any opportunity to practice. He wasn't even sure if he could move a vehicle ten feet without crashing.

He was about to give up hope when an old jalopy pulled out of Junon and drove steadily up to Rufus. An old man with a pair of thick wire-rimmed glasses poked his head out of the driver's side window.

"You lost there boy?" the old man shouted.

Rufus stood and gawked at the sight of the aging man with the full-beard. He blinked a few times to make sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him, but they weren't as the image of a wrinkled face hidden behind a gray beard and thick glasses stared back at him.

"What's wrong boy? Cat caught yer tongue?"

"Oh, uh . . . no sir! Sorry about that. I didn't mean to be so rude," Rufus quickly responded.

"Oh, yer one of them proper city folk," the old man laughed with a slight wheeze. "You sure don't look like one of 'em, but ya sound like one."

Rufus blushed a bit at the old man's teasing. At least he knew that his outfit worked perfectly, he just needed to work on his speech.

"Yeah, I sort of come from the city," Rufus said while trying to talk as normally as possible. "And I am a bit lost. I'm trying to get to Midgar."

"Midgar?!? You're probably the only fool who wants to go there. Well, I guess that doesn't matter. How 'bout I take ya as far as Kalm?" the old man asked.

"Oh, that would be splen . . . er, uh . . . great!" Rufus said pleased.

"Well, hop in then boy!" the old man said as he opened the passenger side door.

Rufus's eyes brightened as he shoved his map back in the bag and hopped into the man's vehicle.

"Thank you Mr., um . . . er," Rufus said as she extended his hand.

"Jones. Casanova Jones. You can call me Casey though, everyone else does," Casey said as he took Rufus's hand and gave it a nice hard shake.

"Thanks Casey. You don't know how much easier you just made my life."

"Nothing no man with a heart wouldn't do, but what's yer name boy?"

"Uh, John," Rufus said quickly.

"Just plain John, huh?"

"Yeah, just plain John," Rufus repeated solemnly remembering his late half-brother. He wasn't sure if he should mourn for John's death or be angry for his betrayal. Rufus felt foolish for using John's name as his own, but he had gotten so used to it while in Junon that his half-brother's name as a reflex.

"Good strong name ya got there," Casey said as he put the jalopy in gear and started driving along the dusty road. "But what business do ya have in Midgar?"

"Oh, I'm looking for someone."

"Well, I sure hope that the person yer looking for is smart and evacuating to Kalm. They say that that there rock in the sky is heading straight for Midgar," Casey said cautiously.

"Yeah, I've heard," Rufus said recounting the last briefing with his executives when the issue was brought to his attention.

"But I hope ya find 'em. If ya can't, I'll be in Kalm helping any stragglers that come out of Midgar. That is if we all survive this thing."

"What are you doing in Kalm?"

"Ya see those boxes back there?"

Rufus turned around and saw the boxes Casey was referring to. There were numerous crates and boxes all stacked on top of each other filling the entire back of the jalopy.

"Yeah, I see them."

"Those are all food and medical supplies that I'm bringing to Kalm in case Midgar falls to the big rock."

"How can you be so certain that Midgar's going to fall? What if ShinRa finds a way to stop Meteor?"

"John, I'm taking these to Kalm 'cause ShinRa asked me to. One of ShinRa's execs has a good head on his shoulders. Good thinking man I'd say."

"Which executive is that?"

"Reeve. They say that he's in jail for treason of some sorts. Damn shame I'd say. He knows what to do and doesn't sit on his high horse like everyone else in ShinRa."

"If he's in jail, how is he able to give out any orders?" Rufus asked slightly confused.

"No, no, no Sonny! Ya misheard me. I never said he ordered me to do this. He just asked me, that's all."

Rufus sat back in disbelief how a man like Casey was transporting medical supplies and provisions to Kalm because Reeve had asked him to.

"Are you being compensated in anyway?"

"Compensated? Ya mean paid?"

"Yeah, paid."

"Nah, don't need it," Casey said proudly. "There ain't nothing money can't buy if half the world's dead ya know."

Rufus sat bewildered and amazed how this man could sacrifice his time and energy to help others without any reward or compensation. He was also amazed that Reeve didn't order anyone to supply provisions, but asked. It didn't surprise him that Reeve would consider Midgar's destruction. Rufus knew that Reeve was the most knowledgeable about Midgar's structure and probably deduced that the city wouldn't survive Meteor's impact. Rufus only hoped that Scarlet and Heidegger didn't execute him.

_(break)_

Reeve leaned back against the cold hard metal walls that made up his cell. It had almost been a week since the Weapon had attacked Midgar and killed President ShinRa. Almost a week since he was arrested for treason and locked in this detention block until Scarlet and Heidegger can decide his fate.

He toyed with the control device to Cait Sith that he had kept safe in his vest pocket. Right now it was his only means of communication with the outside world. Through Cait Sith, he had been able to ask for a few volunteers to meet up in Kalm with necessary supplies in case Meteor falls on Midgar.

Reeve knew that AVALANCHE was working diligently to stop Sephiroth so Holy could be unleashed, but he also had a fear that they wouldn't make it in time or that Holy wouldn't work. The pessimistic side of him was convinced that Midgar was going to be destroyed. He knew that even without Meteor's help it was on the path towards destruction.

The building of the city was everything that he had ever dreamed of in the hopes that he could be part of the building project that changed mankind. He did get what he wished, but not in the way that he had dreamed. President ShinRa had turned the city into a wasteland for greed and deception. He even sacrificed one entire sector of Midgar's citizens to catch one small terrorist group.

Reeve hoped that the President would rebuild the part of Midgar that he had destroyed, but he couldn't convince the President to repair what had been broken. Though Reeve knew that Meteor was still a few days away, to him the city was already falling. He only prayed that if it fell, he could be buried underneath all the metal and concrete so no one could find the body of the man who designed the monstrosity named Midgar.

Cait Sith's control device beeped a few times and Reeve quickly pulled it out of his vest pocket to see what the alarm was. Reeve pushed a few buttons and the small LCD screen glowed with an iridescent green that made the executive's face appear almost alien in quality. He studied the screen and smiled as he learned that Cait Sith was inside Midgar along with the rest of AVALANCHE.

He knew that they needed to be guided along the sewers to get to the Sister Ray. He quickly took control of his robot-friend and led the main AVALANCHE members inside the sewers.

When he first heard of AVALANCHE, he was under the impression that they were a savage terrorist group that bombed mako reactors mainly to cause death and destruction. ShinRa had spun their images so grotesquely, that Reeve was convinced they were mere heartless terrorists. It wasn't until he finally met them in the Gold Saucer that he learned their true nature.

Heartless terrorists wouldn't disregard their own safety and well being to fight the greatest adversity known to mankind, Sephiroth. They also wouldn't fight solely for the sake of the planet without even asking about a salary or reward. AVALANCHE were not cold blooded-killers, they were the final hope that this planet had for survival.

End of Chapter 5.

A/N: I was going to make this chapter a little longer, but liked how I ended it. I've already got a title for the next chapter, which is a first for me. Hopefully I'll have that one up in two weeks or so.

Next chapter: Falling from Grace


	6. Rising to Power

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. 

A/N: Ok, so I lied about the next chapter being called 'Falling from Grace.' That's actually the title to chapter seven.

Chapter 6: Rising to Power 

Reeve watched the small display screen on the small control device and smiled as he saw Cait Sith's tracer moving away from Midgar. He had heard that AVALANCHE was successful in stopping Professor Hojo from firing the Sister Ray. Now the group was on their way to the Northern Crater to fight Sephiroth.

He closed his eyes in relief and set Cait Sith on auto-pilot before replacing the control device in his vest pocket. His eyes scanned his surroundings and he sighed in defeat as he immersed himself in the drab look of his detention cell. The metal walls weren't an eyesore, but certainly not the most attractive décor that ShinRa had to offer either. He feared that at any minute, Scarlet and Heidegger would order some soldiers to escort him to his execution.

A loud knock on the metal door startled Reeve as he almost fell on the floor. A pit of nervousness formed in his stomach as he swallowed a hard lump in his throat to calm his nerves.

"Yes?" Reeve's voice croaked hesitantly.

The metal door creaked open and Reeve's face fell in despair as he saw Reno, Rude and Elena walk into his small cell.

"Hey, didn't think we'd forget about ya, did you?" Reno said with a smirk.

"I guess it's time," Reeve said despondently.

"Damn straight it's time!" Reno said while lighting a cigarette.

"Come along Mister President. We have a lot of things to discuss," Rude interjected in a professional manner.

Reeve's ears perked when he heard Rude talk. "Did . . . did you just call me the President?"

"Affirmative," Rude said calmly.

"In case you didn't know. AVALANCHE infiltrated Midgar and attacked the Sister Ray. In the process they destroyed Scarlet and Heidegger's machine, the Proud Clod, with them in it. Since Scarlet and Heidegger are dead now and Palmer was killed when the Weapon attacked, we came to the last ShinRa executive alive and that's you. Now you're the new President and we're here to get you out of jail," Elena said almost in one breath.

Reeve was amazed at the girl's propensity for talking. He was also shocked to hear that he was now asked to guide the people of Midgar. "I can't be next in line! There has to be some kind of mistake. What about Rufus's body-double? Wasn't he part of the chain-of-command?"

"Technically, no. No where in the ShinRa constitution does it list a body-double as part of the chain-of-command," Elena said smartly.

"But I thought he was Rufus's half-brother. At least, that's what I was told when I was hired as Head of Urban Development," Reeve replied.

"He is, but he isn't. The dead ShinRa . . . I mean the dead fat ShinRa ordered us to make sure no one except the top execs knew of Johnny boy's relation to him. So even though he's the dead skinny ShinRa's brother, the only power he has is to take a crap by himself," Reno said while taking a drag off his cigarette.

"But, can't we use him to pose as President Rufus?" Reeve tried to reason.

"Ya, see, there's the problem. Scarlet and Heidegger let him go," Reno answered.

"Yeah, apparently they didn't see him as a threat and knew that he had no power in ShinRa except to bear the ShinRa name, I even heard that he wasn't listed in the will so that's all up to debate. I don't know why they didn't decide to just kill him off though cause I mean he could've tried to take over pretending to be Rufus," Elena wondered while placing her index finger on her chin in contemplation.

"Because those two are fucking dingbats, that's why! Ya think they'd be able to do something smart with their heads so big and swollen by their egos. Oh, by the way, did you ever hear what they did in the Proud Clod when they were testing it out?" Reno said with a lecherous smile on his face.

"Oh, that's so disgusting! I don't even want to know," Elena cried out while covering her ears.

"How'd ya know it was going to be perverted?" Reno said sarcastically.

"Because I know you Reno and you always have your mind in the gutter," Elena answered.

Their conversation was ended by Rude's loud coughing. The pair turned to stare at their comrade who nodded his head toward a very amused, yet baffled Reeve.

"Oh yeah . . . work," Reno said with a smirk.

Elena sighed at Reno's smart comments and opened the door to the cell so they could escort Reeve to the temporary headquarters.

Reno led the procession with Reeve flanked by Elena and Rude. They made short time of walking from the detention cell to the temporary headquarters located in one of the break rooms on the upper floors.

The group entered the tiny room and led Reeve to the makeshift desk that was made-up of the coffee table and a wooden kitchen chair. Stacks of paper were placed haphazardly on the counters and a jerry-rigged intercom phone had been installed to replace the simple touch-tone phone that once adorned the wall.

Three men were waiting patiently for Reeve while they each held a stack of paper and frantic looks on their faces. Reeve had seen them around the office before. They were Scarlet, Heidegger and Palmer's personal aides. He looked around the room looking for his personal aide, Jim, but didn't see him in the room.

Before Reeve could ask the three men where he was, one of them sadly spoke up. "Jim's dead sir."

"What! When did that happen Thomas?" Reeve said in disbelief.

"He was on the top floor when the Weapon attacked," Thomas said.

"I can't believe it! He was such a promising employee. I think he had a family too," Reeve said as he slumped in a small wooden chair.

"I know it's upsetting to hear about Jim, but we have a lot of work to do now President Anderson," a man with glasses said.

"I understand. So I guess you took over Heidegger's job, Eric?"

"Yes, sir. Thomas took Palmer's and Chris, Scarlet's. We haven't found a replacement for Jim yet," Eric said softly.

"We'll handle that later. By the looks on your faces you're worrying about a lot more than just Jim's death," Reeve deduced.

"Yes we are sir. According to Chris's calculations, Meteor is going to strike Midgar in three days," Eric replied.

"We thought about sending troops to escort everyone out of Midgar, but the banks have frozen most of ShinRa's accounts after hearing about the President death. Apparently they need verification of his death before handing the corporation's assets to us and Scarlet and Heidegger neglected to send a search team to even look for his body," Thomas interjected.

"Also, AVALANCHE has been sighted heading towards the Northern Crater," Chris added.

Reeve pondered all the information he was given carefully. He wasn't concerned about AVALANCHE since he knew what they were doing. He knew that they would have to send someone up to the ShinRa Tower to find President Rufus's body to give the bank their verification so they could have money, but that was an easy task for the Turks. His main concern was trying to evacuate the city within three days.

It was going to be an impossible project. He could easily do it in a week, but he could only evacuate two or three sectors at most in three days. He could evacuate everyone in the upper plates to the slums, which was more probable, but there was no guarantee that the city would survive Meteor's onslaught by the Upper Plates alone.

It was going to be a gamble. Something he had been familiar with while masquerading as Cait Sith. He had taken many chances in the past with only choice he ever regretted. Reeve pulled out his wallet and his eyes scanned the picture of his daughter who smiled brightly with a toothy grin. It was the last picture that his ex-wife Melissa had sent to him of her. He sighed with relief as he thought about his daughter Sara. At least she and her mother were on another continent in Costa Del La Sol away from Meteor's projected path.

Reeve put the picture of Sara away as he straightened his coat. There was only one option left that was feasible. "Eric, Thomas, Chris; I want you three to coordinate the evacuation of everyone in Midgar to the old underground city," Reeve said calmly.

"The underground city? You mean Old Midgar?" Chris exclaimed.

"Yes, Old Midgar," Reeve said calmly.

"But, no one's been in Old Midgar in ages. How will we know it'll be safe?" Thomas asked.

"It's a whole lot safer than staying on the Upper Plates and braving Meteor. Besides, I'm sure you all realized we probably wouldn't survive with everyone in the slums hoping that the upper plates won't fall. Midgar's a great city, but it's not invincible. I should know, I helped build it," Reeve said.

The trio all nodded their heads in agreement before dismissing themselves from the office.

"Reno, Rude, Elena; I want you three to get Rufus ShinRa's body out of the wreckage of the ShinRa Tower so we can give those bankers their proof. I'll try to talk to them and see if they'll give us any sort of relief just in case you can't find the body," Reeve ordered.

Reno gave a mock salute as he started to head for the door.

"Oh Reeve?" Reno said.

"Yes, Reno?"

"You better not die," the Turk said seriously while turning his head to face the newly appointed President.

"I'll certainly do my best," Reeve smiled.

"No, you don't understand. You are not going to die, you can't," Reno said again emphasized.

Reeve stared at the Turk slightly bewildered at his insistence.

"I know this is a stupid reason for me to give, but if you die I'll be the next in line for President," Reno explained

"Reno, I'm surprised you don't want this opportunity to become a world leader. If I died, you could become the most powerful person in the world," Reeve said in disbelief at Reno's behavior.

"That's the reason why you can't die. I can order people to kill and boss people around for intimidation, but I can't run a nation and tell people how to live. Hell, I can't even live my own life so I don't want to be burdened with the fate of an entire nation. That's your job," Reno smirked as he left the office but not before ensuring that two ShinRa guards were posted at the door to solidify Reeve's safety.

Reeve shook his head and smiled as he watched the Turks leave. He never thought that Reno would pass on an opportunity to be the President of ShinRa. Reeve sighed as his thoughts drifted back to his daughter Sara. He pulled out the picture of the smiling ten-year-old and his face fell with grief. He had a feeling that Reno had much better sense than he did for avoiding the office of the Presidency. It was going to require more work and responsibility: the two things that he chose over his own family.

Reeve dialed a few numbers on his PHS and waited for the other line to pick-up.

"Hello?" the voice of a woman answered.

"Mel? It's me."

"Reeve? I thought I told you not to call anymore," the woman replied slightly irritated.

"I know. But it might be the last time I'll get the talk to you . . . ever," Reeve said softly.

"What? What do you mean the last time ever?" the woman said concerned.

"Have you been hearing the news about Meteor?"

"Yes, I have . . . Oh God! You're still in Midgar!"

"Melissa, I know it sounds crazy, but I have to stay here to get the people to safety."

"Reeve, why you?"

"I've just been appointed as the new President," Reeve said with a sigh.

"Well, since you're the President, can't you get someone else to stay in Midgar so you can get out safely," Melissa pleaded.

"I can't because no one else can do the job right."

"That's what you said to me last time . . . remember," Melissa said softly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry I chose my work over you and Sara. I'm really sorry . . . I," Reeve began to say, but stopped.

"I know. It's ok. I know you wanted a better life for us. It's my fault too for being so stubborn."

"No Mel, don't blame yourself. It was my fault too. I still think about you and Sara every night. But how is she? Can I talk to her?"

"Yeah, hold on. Let me get her," Melissa said while sniffing back a tear.

Reeve held his breath as he thought about what he was going to say to his daughter. It had been so long since he had talked to her and even longer since he had last seen her.

"Daddy?" the shrill voice of a young girl boomed over the phone.

"Yes, sweetie, it's Daddy. How's my princess doing?"

"I'm great Daddy! Mommy and I are baking cookies today," Sara said gleefully.

"Oh, I know those will be yummy," Reeve chuckled.

"Can you come over to eat them? Mommy and I made a whooole lot of them," she said while emphasizing the word 'whole.'

"I'm sorry princess, but Daddy has a lot of work that he has to do. He's trying to help a whoooole city full of people," Reeve said while imitating his daughter.

"Oh, you're so silly Daddy. But will you visit after you help everyone? I got a new dress and I want to show it to you," Sara said excitedly.

"I will. I promise," Reeve said shutting his eyes, knowing that he couldn't guarantee to his daughter that he would be alive in three days.

"Yay! Ok, Mommy wants to talk to you now. Bye-bye Daddy, I love you!"

"I love you too sweetie," Reeve said as if it would be the last time he'd talk to his daughter.

"Reeve?"

"I'm here Mel."

"Please keep that promise you just made to Sara. It would be a lot to her and me. I know you weren't the best husband, but I want you to be safe, ok?"

"I will. I'll try my best for her . . . for both of you. If I survive, you'll know," Reeve said softly.

"Thanks. But I need to help Sara with the cookies now. Take care," Melissa said with a mixture of hesitation and compassion.

"Ok, you take care too," Reeve said as he waited for the sound of the dial tone.

He put away his PHS and sat silently as he stared at the picture of his daughter. Reeve closed his eyes as he clasped his hands together in a silent prayer. _Lord, if you're going to claim the lives of this city and let Meteor fall on this planet, I pray that you at least spare the life of my wife and daughter._ Reeve opened his eyes only to find them blurred with his own tears.

Reeve quickly wiped them away and took a deep breath. He had a lot of work to do and now was not the time to break down emotionally. He picked up the phone on the desk and proceeded to dial a few numbers.

"Hello, I need to speak with Mr. Baker, the head of the bank. Who is this? This is the new President of ShinRa, Reeve Anderson."

* * *

The Turks cautiously made their way up the stairs toward the top floor, which looked like a war zone after Weapon had finished its deed. In the short time Scarlet and Heidegger were in office, they neglected to send a crew up to the top floors to clear out any of the debris. Chunks of wreckage would occasionally fall sixty stories high to the ground from the destroyed floors.

The three Turks finally made it to the top floor and opened the door to survey the damage. They could see the burnt remains of desks, chairs and scattered bits of steel and concrete twisting in awkward angles. They carefully walked around the various bits of debris, trying not to bump into some of the jagged bits of metal that precariously hung from the ceiling.

"Do we know where he was when the Weapon knocked him off?" Reno asked Rude.

"Yes, in the office."

"Hmmm, I guess that's this way," Reno said pointing to the remains of the towering oak doors that lead to the President's office.

The trio entered what was left of the office and started their search for the late President's body. Bits of glass and burnt wood littered the once spacious office. Elena could be seen poking around in a small heap of trash while Reno and Rude were working on lifting up the remains of a desk. Once the desk had been turned over, the pair was met with a foul stench that nearly caused Reno to puke.

"Oh, god! That shit stinks! I think we got him Elena!" Reno called over to his comrade while covering his nose and mouth with his shirt.

Elena raced over to the pair and gasped as she stared at the blacked remains of the late President. There was nothing left on his body that hadn't been burned beyond the point of recognition. Both clothes and flesh had been consumed by the energy blast that tore through the building.

"Well, here he is. You got the body bag Elena?" Reno asked.

"Yeah, right here," Elena said while pulling out a large black bag and scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Wait!" Rude shouted.

"What is it?" Reno said while coughing, trying to hold down the bile in his throat.

"This isn't President Rufus?"

"What the fuck? Who is it then?"

"It's John," Rude said as he lifted the slightly charred dog tags that hung around the corpse's neck.

"If this is John, then where's Rufus?" Elena asked.

"Hell if I know! But we gotta tell Reeve. Rude, Elena, bag the body. I'm going to get on my PHS," Reno said walking further and further away from the corpse for some fresh air.

He punched a few numbers and waited until he heard Reeve's voice answer the phone.

"Reeve here."

"Yo, boss-man. We got a problem," Reno said while lighting a cigarette to further mask the stench of the corpse.

"Problem?"

"Yeah, we found the body but it's not Rufus's."

"Not Rufus's?"

"Yeah, it's John ShinRa's."

"Wait, let me get this straight. You found John ShinRa's body, the John who is Rufus's body double and half-brother?"

"Yep, and he's stinking up the place," Reno said while taking a drag of his cigarette.

"Then that means Scarlet and Heidegger let Rufus leave Junon! Shit!" Reeve cursed.

"Whoa, never thought you had a cursing bone in your body there Reeve," Reno laughed.

"I usually don't, but this is serious. We're not going to get any money from the banks without Rufus himself or proof of his death. We're going to have to find Rufus as soon as humanly possible."

Reno took the cigarette and dangled it between his index finger and thumb while blowing out all the excess smoke before answering, "I thought you'd say that. We'll don't you worry your little head, cause I got a plan."

* * *

A/N: I won't update until January since I'm going to be going on vacation. I need a break, but that doesn't mean I won't be working on this fic and 'The Search is Over' while on my break. Just don't count on me slaving over them. But I'll see you all in January! 


	7. Falling from Grace

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

A/N: A bit of Reno vulgarity.

**Chapter 7: Falling from Grace **

Rufus was thoughtfully looking out the window of Casey's jalopy at the beautiful night sky. They had been making good time through the rough terrain and Casey entertained him with his wild stories of all the crazy things he did as a youth.

"You know they say that it's dern near impossible to catch a chocobo without some chocobo lure or greens cause they're too fast, but when I was your age some of my friends and I wanted to see if we could catch one," Casey said trying to talk louder than the buzzing of the radio.

"Did you?" Rufus asked, highly doubting that the old man had been able to succeed even when he was in his prime.

"Nah, wound up all battered and bruised from trying to chase those suckers down. But we did almost catch a baby chocobo until its mother chased us half-way back home," Casey laughed.

Rufus also laughed trying to picture Casey running way from an angry mother chocobo. He never had been able to laugh by such a crude story before because he had never heard any. Even the rustic sounds of Casey's country music blasting over the radio added a certain charm that Rufus was enjoying for the first time.

Their moment of gaiety was ended when the distinct beeps of the emergency broadcast system blared over the radio. Rufus and Casey stopped their laughing to listen to the important message that was about to be played.

"We interrupted this broadcast to bring you an important message from ShinRa, Inc. Ladies and gentlemen, a national alert has just been issued for the retrieval of Jonathan Adacus ShinRa who usually goes by the name, John. He is a male Caucasian standing at five foot nine inches with brown or blond hair and blue eyes. This man is considered harmless and should be brought back alive and well the nearest ShinRa facilities. If you have any information or facts that can lead us to Mr. ShinRa, please do not hesitate to call our toll free number 1-888-555-TURK. This concludes our emergency broadcast."

Rufus sat in deep thought as he listened to the broadcast. He thought that John had died in the blast at the ShinRa Tower, but it was possible that he had survived and escaped ShinRa after they found out his true identity. It was also possible that they thought Rufus was actually dead and needed John to take over. He couldn't figure out exactly why they wanted John, but he knew that he couldn't let anyone turn him in as John ShinRa until he knew why.

"Jonathan ShinRa? Did I hear that right?" Casey asked confused as country music blarred back on the radio.

"Yeah, they said Jonathan ShinRa," Rufus said flatly.

"Hmm, that you John?" Casey joked.

"No, that's not me," Rufus played along, knowing that he was supposed to be John ShinRa.

"Oh, come on, you can tell good 'ole Casey the truth. I ain't gonna turn you in, just curious, that's all," Casey said sincerely.

"It's true Casey, I'm not John ShinRa," Rufus said with a smile, knowing that what he said was a partial truth.

"Sure you ain't boy," Casey said jokingly. "But not like it matters. I wouldn't turn ya in even if you were Sephiroth himself."

"You wouldn't turn in the most wanted criminal this planet has ever seen?" Rufus asked bewildered.

"Nope. Don't believe in doing things like that."

"But his capture would save hundreds of lives," Rufus tried to reason.

"Yeah, but then his life would be kaput once they lock 'em up. I say that if it doesn't help someone, you know . . . really help someone, then don't do it," Casey said with a wink before he started to sing along to the song that happened to be on the radio.

"You're a strange man Casey," Rufus shook his head and smiled.

Rufus wished that he had met him a long time ago when he was younger. It would have given him hope that one could still keep their naivety even as an adult. Rufus tried to stretch as sitting in the jalopy was getting tiring for his body.

"You know how to drive John?" Casey said while trying to stifle a yawn.

"Huh? Me, drive? Uh, yeah, I know how to drive," Rufus said trying to recall the last time ShinRa allowed him to drive one of the company issued cars.

It had been a few years since he'd driven a car, but he had never had any experience with a jalopy. Rufus felt the vehicle slowing down and watched as Casey pulled over to the side of the road and got out of the jalopy. The next thing Rufus knew, Casey was opening up the passenger side door and motioning for him to step out.

"Go ahead and take a whiz before you start driving," Casey said directing his thumb towards some bushes.

"Um, sure," Rufus said while climbing out of the vehicle.

He had heard enough crude language from Reno to know that Casey was asking him to relieve himself in the bushes. It seemed so primitive and uncouth that Rufus was tempted to ask Casey for the nearest restroom. But Rufus took a deep breath and as he knew that he needed to start blending in more with the local folk and if using the restroom in the bushes was what they did, then that's what Rufus had to do.

After defecating the local shrubbery, Rufus walked back to the jalopy only to find Casey relaxed and half-asleep in the passenger's seat. Rufus took a quick breath while mentally reviewing everything he ever remembered from driving a car. He carefully strapped himself in the driver's seat and surveyed the control panel to figure out where everything was located.

"Keys are in the ignition," Casey said while pulling a hat over his face and propping his legs on the dashboard.

"Um, it's been a while since I last drove, so I'm going to be a little rusty," Rufus said hesitantly.

"You'll pick it up quick. It's like riding a bike but without the pedaling," Casey yawned.

Rufus kept quiet not wanting to disclose that he had never learned how to ride a bike. Saying a silent prayer, Rufus turned the keys to the ignition. The vehicle sputtered at first, but eventually vibrated with the rough murmur from the engine. He put the jalopy in gear and felt the jerky movement of the vehicle lurch forward from pushing his foot on the accelerator a bit too hard.

After a few minutes of uneasy movements, Rufus was finally able to drive the vehicle in a consistent smooth motion, occasionally stealing a glance at Casey to see if any of his driving had woken up the old man. Luckily, Casey didn't stir one bit and slept soundlessly as if used to the jerkiness of Rufus's driving.

Suddenly, Rufus realized that he had no idea where they should be driving and was about to wake Casey up to ask for proper directions.

"Just keep on driving East until you get to Fort Condor, then head North from there and follow the road," Casey answered Rufus's question before he even got a chance to ask.

"Ok, thanks," Rufus answered with a wary voice.

"No problem, jus' keep yer eyes on the road and don't go faster than the speed limit. You're doing fine," Casey muttered half-asleep.

Rufus smiled, grateful that Casey seemed to always help him, even though he should be asleep. The road was going to be long and bumpy, but he didn't mind traveling it. He felt like he was in control of his life: leading himself to unexplored places solely for himself. He never dreamed that the simple task of driving could be so invigorating.

_(break)_

"Do you really think that your announcement will work?" Reeve asked rubbing his brow with confusion.

"Of course it will! If I know Rufus, he'll come running to our doorsteps because he thinks that his Turks are out searching for him," Reno said with a smile.

"But you don't really know Rufus very well," Elena said.

"Oh, shut-up!" Reno said angrily.

"Yeah, but why ask for John? Wouldn't that seem a bit false?" Reeve inquired.

"Well, everyone in the world pretty much thinks that Rufus ShinRa is dead, so if we go around asking for Rufus, people will start to think we went loony and protecting ShinRa's integrity is part of our job," Reno answered, knowing that Reeve would ask that question. "It also makes intimidation much easier for a Turk."

"But what if Rufus thinks that we're actually looking for John and not Rufus himself. He doesn't know that we know he's still alive," Reeve interjected.

"Oh, I never thought about that," Reno said with his mouth slightly agape. "Well, we did ask for him to be brought back alive, so he couldn't possibly think that we want John ShinRa so we can execute him, could he?"

"You did give the Turk hotline and that is what we do best," Rude said to further dampen the mood.

Reeve chuckled as he saw Reno's face turn into ghostly white. "Don't worry about it too much Reno, I don't think we would've been able to find him in the short amount of time we have. Thanks for trying."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. See, that's why I don't want you to go dying on me. I can't even fucking find our President," Reno said lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves.

"That's ok. But now that you've put out the announcement, I want you three to help evacuate everyone to the underground city. We need to get them down there in case Meteor falls," Reeve said in a business-like voice.

"Understood," the three Turks said in unison before quietly making their way out of the makeshift office.

_(break)_

"Unhand me you ruffian!"

"Listen lady, we need to evacuate everyone down to the lower levels, President Reeve's orders," Reno said almost ready to zap the woman with his lighting rod and carry her down unconscious.

"I won't take orders from someone who isn't the true heir to ShinRa, Inc.," the woman seethed.

"Hey, kid! Why don't you help me get your grandma out?" Reno asked the young man standing in the corner.

"For your information, I'm probably a few years older than you are and that woman is my mother," Nicholas said narrowing his eyes venomously.

"Grandma, mother . . . whatever, just tell her that she needs to evacuate," Reno said dejectedly, wishing that Rude or Elena were with him so they could drag the two out of their home and down to the underground city.

"I thought a Turk would be more intimidating than this," Nicholas said with a smirk.

"Yeah, well I wasn't exactly sent to kill you now, was I?" Reno flashed his teeth as his blue eyes glowed maliciously from the mako coursing through his veins.

"Hmph! I'm not amused," the man said while walking towards his mother. "Come, mother. We should do as the man says and take our leave."

"Very well, let me get my things," the woman said snobbishly leaving Reno with her son.

"So I heard your announcement. Tell me, who's John ShinRa?" Nicholas said with a hint of interest and mockery.

"Tell me, who's going to be the dead man no one's gonna miss if he doesn't shut the fuck-up," Reno said mimicking the man's tone.

Nicholas's lips twitched in frustration from Reno's reply. He knew he wouldn't get any information from him. He wanted to lash out at the Turk verbally and physically, but his mother finally returned with her belongings and they walked out of the house before an altercation could ensue. Reno watched to make sure that the pair were headed towards the elevators and quickly locked the door behind him. He looked down at his address sheet and noted the man's name.

"Matilda King and son Nicholas King. What a prick! Nick the prick who can suck my dick! I hope I meet him in a dark alley one day," Reno said while taking a pencil and crossing their names off his list. He scanned down to the next name of many and made his way towards the next house.

"So he was one of the Turks," Nicholas said curiously.

"Very unimpressive. Not like the Turks in the days when your father was in his prime," Matilda said with a snort.

"True, but he was smart enough not to tell us who this, John ShinRa is. He still poses as a threat to my rise to power, mother."

"We'll figure that all out in due time. Even if your father had other sons, we'll seek them out and kill them all so there will be no one left to oppose you. We'll start with this, John ShinRa that the Turks are trying to find," Matilda said with a hushed voice.

"How do you plan that?"

"By using the same tactics as the Turks, but we make an announcement that we'll pay over a million gil for anyone to find Mr. ShinRa dead or alive, but preferably dead," Matilda said emphasizing the last word.

"Very clever indeed, I just hope that you have that million you seem to be promising or are you projecting our income for when I claim ShinRa, Inc.?"

"I never said that we'd actually give them the money. And I'm sure we could use Meteor's chaos to our advantage, we'll just have to see how everyone else plays their cards so we can play ours," Matilda said with confidence while clutching her bag of belongings tightly.

Matilda King was a conniving woman who would do everything in her power to get what she wants. She had once murdered a co-worker at the HoneyBee Inn to win her night with Augustus ShinRa, which eventually lead to their love affair. He had the power and she wanted it, letting him impregnate her so she could have a stake at his fortune. Though ShinRa, Inc. had covered up all public records of her relationship with the president, there was one shred of proof they had not destroyed. Matilda was no fool to leave behind the last piece of evidence to prove that her son was Augustus ShinRa's first son, born and conceived before Rufus ShinRa. That was the ace she intended to play.

_(break)_

Rufus stared in horror as he turned the bend, which brought him to Kalm. Along the horizon the sun couldn't be seen though it was well past dawn. Instead, the menacing sight of Meteor looming dangerously overhead had blocked out the sun's warm rays. It looked like Meteor was mere inches away from smashing into the ShinRa Tower.

Casey woke up in time to see the fearsome sight as the reality of the situation nearly brought tears to the old man's eyes.

"So that's the big 'ole rock," Casey said seriously.

"Yeah, that's it," Rufus replied.

The two men stared at the calamitous sight for a few minutes before continuing the remainder of their trip to Kalm. They were tired from driven for two straight days but needed to unpack the boxes from the back of the jalopy before their work would be completely finished. Casey told Rufus to stop in front of a small clinic that faced Midgar. It would be the first place refugees would come to when they needed help and it looked like some people had already made that flight from Midgar to Kalm.

As they got out of the car they were greeted by the many eyes of tired travel-worn people surrounding the clinic. Some had escaped Midgar with only the shirts off their back while others were lined up with their families, eager to get the supplies the two men were about to unpack. Rufus could hear the sounds of babies crying for their mother's milk and the elderly sobbing while staring up at Meteor's slow decent.

"Come on, John, gotta unpack these supplies before I cut ya loose," Casey said without his usual cheer.

Rufus brushed his fingers through his hair before helping Casey carry some of the boxes. He had never had to do any sort of hard labor before and the weight of the boxes was straining muscles he didn't even know existed.

"Take it one at a time John! Don't try to lift as many as you can like you're some muscleman. You've been driving all night, take it easy!" Casey said with concern.

Rufus followed Casey's advice and lugged the boxes into the small clinic, trying to avoid the stares of all the helpless people sitting along the clinic's walls. He was afraid that the people around him would panic and rush the small jalopy that was now parked right in front of the clinic, unguarded.

Casey and Rufus both entered the clinic with their boxes and were greeted by a plump elderly black woman who quickly took the box from Rufus effortlessly.

"It's about time you got here Casey, we were starting to run low on our supplies with all these new people coming in from the city," the woman said boisterously.

"Don't worry Donna, we've got everything under control. Look, I even found me a helper," Casey said placing the box on the nearest table.

"Well, well. Look what we have here. Another underfed city-boy, didn't your mama ever feed you? That box was about to crush you, you poor skinny little thing," Donna said while putting Rufus's box on the table and shaking her head at his lank figure.

"He maybe skinny and he may be a city-boy, but he's not half-bad. He can carry a box, just let the man do his work," Casey said jovially to Donna while walking out the door for more boxes.

"There you go again Casey, always trying to do everything yourself. Let me get some more help for you," Donna said while pushing ahead of Casey and walking out the door.

Casey winked at Rufus and put his hand on his shoulder, "Don't you worry about Donna, she always tries to be everyone's mother."

Rufus couldn't find any words to express his amazement at the woman's vigor and forcefulness. He followed Casey out the door only to be witness to one of the most amazing sights he had ever seen.

Donna was pointing at random refugees who happened to be waiting outside the clinic and ordering them to carry some of the boxes into the clinic. She called each one of them by name and they all promptly did was they were told without any bickering or reservation. In fact, the refugees that were working almost seemed pleased to be able to help. Rufus had never seen any of his high-ranking generals or commanders give out orders with such power. She knew what she was doing.

"Here, let me help," Rufus offered.

"You ain't touching a thing! We're going to get you something to put some meat on those bones," Donna partly scolded. "Go on and get inside so I can fix you and Casey something good."

Rufus looked to Casey and pleaded with his eyes for any help, but found none.

"Just do as the woman says, there's no use arguing with Donna," Casey said with a smile before entering the clinic ready to feast on whatever Donna had planned on cooking.

Rufus stared up at the sky watching Meteor inch closer and closer to the ground and wanted to protest, but knew that Donna probably had an iron will and wouldn't relent even to Sephiroth. He shrugged and went into the clinic hoping that Donna's cooking was good, fearing that this meal could be his last.

_(break)_

"We did it, we finally did it!" the young ninja said with excitement.

"Cloud, is it really over? Is Meteor really stopped?" Tifa asked with tears of joy in her eyes.

"Yes, Tifa. It's finally over," Cloud said with relief.

He had fought many battles to finally see the salvation of the world. Ever since he had killed Sephiroth and Jenova, he felt a heavy weight lift from his body. He also felt a familiar scar on his stomach start to ache more. Cloud fingered his shirt where the scar was and dismissed it as merely a tingle.

"Come on old man! Land this thing! I don't want to barf all over the place," Yuffie whined, momentarily shaking her fist at the pilot.

"Hold your horses and shut your trap. I'm working on it!" Cid bellowed while blowing out some smoke from his cigarette.

The rest of AVALANCHE stared in awe as they watched the sun's rays gently warming the earth. Midgar slowly passed within sight and their awe was replaced with worry for the lives of the many people who were in the city when Meteor almost fell. They could all see the destruction Meteor left and they all looked to Cait Sith for any sighs of life. Unfortunately, the comical robot stood motionless as Cid slowly started to bring the Highwind down to the ground.

"Do you think everyone's alright?" Tifa asked hesitantly.

"Cait Sith did say that he put everyone underground. I'm just hoping it was good enough to protect them," Cloud answered, still placing his hand protectively over the scar that was bothering him.

"I wanna go outside! I'm tired of being cooped up in here. Come on, let's go Tifa!" Yuffie whined as she dragged the fighter out of the Highwind.

Tifa tried in vain to protest, but gave into the young ninja's request with a smile, grateful that she had lightened their solemn mood. "Ok, let's go outside."

The rest of AVALANCHE followed suit, also wanting to breathe the fresh air and revel in the beauty of the planet they saved. Barret had carried Cait Sith's inactive body out, hoping he would reawaken and inform the rest of the members that he was safe. Nanaki and Cid padded out together while Cid tried to light a cigarette with Nanaki's tail. Even the stoic Vincent Valentine walked outside to bask in the warm sunlight.

They all stood in peaceful silence as they each thought about the lives they had saved and the many lives that would need to be saved. Barret gently shook the robotic doll, hoping that it would spring to life.

"Wake-up ya fool. We've stopped Meteor yo," Barret tried talking to Cait Sith, but to no avail.

"Oh, just kick the darn thing," Yuffie said with frustration.

Just as the young ninja was about to kick Cait Sith in the knee, the robot suddenly sprang to life and knocked Yuffie over on her back.

"Watch what you're doing ya big oaf!" Yuffie said nursing her hurt bottom.

"Happy day! Happy day! The big old rock has gone away!" Cait Sith sang and bounced.

Everyone, including Yuffie all laughed and cheered knowing that Cait Sith was active. They wanted to hear the news Reeve had about the status inside of Midgar.

"How's everything in Midgar Reeve?" Nanaki asked.

"Things could be better. So far the underground ruins are keeping everyone safe. I hadn't checked to see if we can get out," the robot's voice said.

"We'll be sure to get you out as soon as we can, right Cloud?" Tifa asked turning to her childhood friend.

Cloud stood clutching his abdomen as he heard Tifa speak to him. He didn't want her to see him in so much pain. Removing his hands from his stomach, he was shocked to see them covered in blood. His frightened mako-blue eyes met Tifa's and he could see the horror etched on her face. He didn't even had time to called for help as darkness overcame him and he fell into Tifa's arms.


	8. Death Comes in Pairs

Note:  I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 8:  Death comes in pairs**

            The air was thick with anticipation at the small clinic in Kalm.  Hoards of people gathered around with their loved ones and held onto each other in what would possibly be the last moments of their lives.  Most of them were boarded up in their houses or crammed into the small clinic, but there were a few that braved the outside to witness the planet's final seconds.

            Rufus ShinRa was too preoccupied to stare in awe at Meteor's hurricane of destruction.  He was certain that there was no hope left for the planet, but he had to try and get to Midgar if it was the last thing he did.  Casey had shook his hand while Donna adamantly refused to let him go, but he had assured her that he was going to be fine.  Rufus had already walked a mile away from Kalm as he slung his shotgun over his shoulders.  It was a mile closer to Midgar, but not close enough.

            He tried to keep his eyes focused on the mountains past Midgar.  He did not want to witness its destruction, but Midgar was a huge city and one would have to be blind to miss it.  The great city that he grew up preparing to rule was now being destroyed before his very eyes.  He cursed under his breath as he tried to think how things would have been different if he had been the one to go to Midgar instead of John.  He smirked as he realized that a Weapon would've killed him were he in John's place.  

            Fate did seem to work in mysterious ways.  She was such a cruel temptress.  Instead of ruling over the City of Midgar like he was supposed to, he was standing along its outskirts watching it crumble into dust.  Rufus snorted in frustration.  This is what he deserved for allowing his father's company fall into corruption: this was his punishment.  Though he may not have built Midgar, it still became a part of him through his bloodline.  As Meteor's force tore through chunks of metal like butter, Rufus saw one of his childhood desires being fulfilled.

            It was true.  He had wanted to see his father's company fail.  He had wanted to see his father turn into an ordinary man who had ordinary wishes and desires, not the megalomaniac he became.  It was somehow ironic that his father's company was crumbling before his eyes, yet Rufus felt empty.  Fate wasn't a cruel temptress; she was just a bitch.

            Rufus bowed his head in defeat, closing his eyes to the carnage before him.  He dared to look up again and saw for the first time in his life, a miracle.  A bright flash of white light was trying to block Meteor's decent onto the great city.  He could see sparks of lightening flash as the white barrier battled with the giant rock.  A small inkling of hope filled his heart.  He knew that it wasn't much hope, but it was hope nonetheless.  

            That hope slowly started to dissipate as Meteor continued to make its slow decent to the earth.  Apparently the small miracle he had witnessed wasn't enough to prevent this planet's impending doom.  Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the green glow of mako floating in the sky.  Rufus turned his head away from the battle between Meteor and the white sheet of light to witness yet another miracle.  

            Out of the ground and fissures in the earth, mako was rising out of the planet's core and heading straight for Midgar.  Rufus stood in awe as wisps of mako started to pass by him like the wind on a warm summer's day.  He reached his hand out curiously and touched the mako, watching the swirls move around his hand.

            Rufus's hand tingled with a warm sensation from where he was touching the mako.  He felt as if he could sense the thousands of lives that were rising up from the earth to help save the planet.  They were all speaking to him, forgiving him for harvesting the planet's lifeforce.  Rufus didn't understand why all the tiny voices were forgiving him, until he felt her presence.  

            He had dearly missed her, ever since she died when he was merely a boy.  Rufus listened as he heard her voice echo in his mind.

            _"My dear Rufus, how you have grown." _

            _"Mother?  Is it you?"_

_            "Yes, it's me sweetie.  But I can't talk long for my time here is short." _

_            "Short?  Where are you going?  Why do you have to leave me again?"_

_            "I'm sorry my dear, but I need to go with the others to save the planet.  We're the only hope left to stop Meteor from crashing down on us.  We are the spirits in the lifestream."_

_            "Lifestream?  You mean mako?"_

_            "Yes, mako is what your father called it.  But what your father thought was a fuel source was actually the essence of the planet."_

_            "So, the Ancient, AVALANCHE . . . they were all right," _Rufus sighed dejectedly.

            _"But it's not your fault my dear.  The planet forgives you, forgives everyone, even your father.  That's why I'm here.  I'm here to tell you to live your life for the best of the planet.  Find a way to stop the mako-harvesting and give back to the planet everything that was taken in the past."_

_            "I will mother.  I promise you I will, just like I promised to be strong for you and to be a good boy."_

_            "Yes, you have been strong, very strong.  But I must go.  Remember what I told you and always know that I love you, my son," _the voice echoed before disappearing.

            _"No, wait!  Don't go, please don't leave me alone again,"_ Rufus tried to plead to his mother, but she was already gone.

            Rufus felt the steady stream of tears running down his cheeks, but he did nothing to hide them or wipe them away.  His father had taught him never to cry saying that it was a sign of weakness.  The old Rufus ShinRa probably never would have, but the old Rufus ShinRa would have never seen the destruction of Midgar or speak to his mother's ghost.  The old Rufus ShinRa would have never remembered what it was like to be loved.

            As Rufus gazed up at Midgar, he saw the lifestream circling Meteor with streams of green light.  It was amazing watching the mist pierce the giant rock and then disperse it throughout the atmosphere in tiny harmless specks of dust.  The planet had given the people another chance and Rufus knew what he had to do.

            Wiping away his tears, he continued his journey to Midgar, hoping that there was still someone left alive who could help him.  He needed to speak to Reeve or his Turks if at all possible, but he wasn't sure if they had fled to another city or perished in Midgar along with the Upper plates.  The sudden whir of wind and machinery caught Rufus's attention and he turned to his right to see the Highwind slowly making its descent to the ground.  _AVALANCHE!?!  What are they doing here?_

            He watched as a few hundred yards away from him the small rebel group disembarked from the ship and stared at Midgar's remains.  The last reports he had heard about the group was that they were heading to the Northern Crater on a suicide mission to destroy Sephiroth.  It looked like they had succeeded.  A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched them celebrate their victory.  He saw Reeve's toy, Cait Sith bounce up and down with life and realized that he could speak to Reeve through the robotic toy.

            He quickly made his way towards the small band and silently contemplated whether to reveal his true identity to the rebel group.  He had put a price on each one of their heads for the destruction of the many mako reactors in Midgar: he knew that they would hate him. 

            As Rufus was only several yards away from the group, he heard the screams of panic and alarm echo through the plains.  He watched as a man with a large sword fell down from a bloody wound in his stomach.  A few feet away, a tall dark-haired man dressed in red also fell as his left arm was covered in blood.  Rufus didn't know what injuries these warriors had suffered while fighting Sephiroth, but it appeared that the two were not going to make it.

            "Cloud!  Vincent!" 

            Rufus could hear the other members frantically shout the names of the two fallen men.  He knew that Cloud Strife was one of them and had only heard rumors of a former Turk named Vincent Valentine joining their forces.  Apparently the rumors were true.  Rufus started to run towards the group but only got within a few yards before he saw a horrific sight.

            Vincent's prostrate body suddenly shook in a seizure as two black wings sprung from his back.  Rufus could hear the others cry out the name 'Chaos,' but had no idea what it meant.  However, once the black demonic creature sprang out of the bloody heap that was once Vincent Valentine, he knew that Chaos was the name of the creature floating in the air.  

            Rufus watched in horror as the creature sprang upon Cait Sith and tore the robot doll into shreds of fluff and machinery.  The creature spared little time in ripping the robot apart and Rufus shuddered in fear at what that creature could do with an animal or a human.  Whatever that creature was, it was a danger to him and the rest of AVALANCHE.  Death was the only sentence appropriate for such a malice.

            Pulling out his shotgun, he aimed for the creature that was now looking for its next victim.  The other members of AVALANCHE were already fighting the demon as a hail of bullets and throwing stars were aimed at the creature's head.  Only two members of AVALANCHE didn't fight, one was Cloud Strife and the other was a woman who was holding his injured body.  The creature didn't have to think to know that the woman wouldn't put up a fight as it swooped down in a nosedive toward the woman.  

            Rufus only had to fire once to stop the creature as Chaos howled in pain while grabbing its chest.  It fell a few feet short of the woman before flying back up into the air in a retreat.  Everyone watched cautiously as the creature flew away from the group.  As soon as Chaos was out of sight, all eyes suddenly turned to Rufus.

* * *

            "Shit!" Reeve spat as he threw Cait Sith's control device on the floor.

            "What's up?  Your toy not working?" Reno tried to joke.

            "No, it's not.  I think Chaos destroyed it," Reeve said while trying to find his PHS.         

            "Chaos?  Who's that?" Reno said while pulling out his PHS and handing it to Reeve.

            "He's one of Vincent's transformations.  A demonic creature Hojo implanted into Mr. Valentine.  Thanks for the phone Reno.  I hope that AVALANCHE can get here in time.  I'm not sure if our exit is blocked and if it is, how much oxygen we have left," Reeve said worried.

            "Don't worry about a thing El Presidente.  Rude, Elena, and I scoped out the exit and found out you can still get out, but one person at a time and that person has to climb up a really, really long ladder.  So you don't have to worry about the air, I'd worry about how much food we have left.  Do you know how disgusting these ShinRa issued rations are?" Reno laughed.

            "Thanks Reno, that helps relieve some of my stress.  I just hope that this PHS will work underground," Reeve said as he dialed a series of numbers.

* * *

            The remaining AVALANCHE members all stared at the raggedy brown-haired man in wonder.  It looked like the man hadn't shaved in days and the shotgun he held protectively proved that he was not some random homeless man wandering the plains around Kalm.  He didn't appear to be a spy for ShinRa or look to have any malicious intent.  No one wanted to speak to him yet as they faced a more pressing matter: Cloud Strife's life.  

            Tifa wept softly as she held Cloud's body in her arms.  "Cloud, please open your eyes."

            Her pleas were only met with silence as the gaping wound in his stomach gushed out streams of blood.

            "Did he get that from Sephiroth?  I don't remember him getting any injuries," Yuffie said with concern etched on her face.  "Oh, let's use a cure spell on him!"

            "No, the wound is far too deep for that.  If Chaos had not attacked, we would have had time, but now it's too late.  He's lost too much blood," Nanaki said remorsefully after studying the wound.  

            "Isn't there anything we can do?" Yuffie said sadly.

            "He still has a pulse, there's some hope yet," Tifa said between sobs.  

            The only comfort Barret or Cid had to offer was to put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder as they watched Cloud's breathing slowly fade.  The young leader's face had already paled to a deathly white and his lips into a cold blue.  Miraculously, Cloud opened his steel-blue eyes and saw all the surprised, yet melancholy faces of the rest of his friends.  His eyes turned to the black-haired beauty who was holding him in her arms.

            "Tifa," Cloud said weakly while raising his hand up to touch her face.

            "I'm right here, Cloud," Tifa said while cupping his cold hand to her cheek.  

            "Don't cry," he said in almost a whisper.

            "I can't.  I can't stop.  I'm afraid of what . . . what's going to happen to you," Tifa said letting more tears flow down her damp cheeks.

            "There were so many things left unsaid.  So many things I wanted to do.  Please smile for me, just one last time," Cloud said softly.

            Tifa smiled brightly for her hero, trying not to let her smile falter with the heavy weight of grief.  

            "I've always loved your smile.  So beautiful.  I'm sorry I won't be able to see it again, but at least I kept my promise," Cloud said trying to force a smile.

            "Yes, you kept your promise.  You rescued me when you said you would," she said while placing her free hand on his face.  "Please don't leave me."

            "I can't hold on anymore.  It hurts too much.  Promise me, Tifa . . . promise me you'll be happy," Cloud said, forcing his words out.

            "I promise, Cloud.  I swear I will, for you," Tifa said with conviction.

            "Good, then live," the warrior said before letting his eyes fall shut.

            Those were the last words anyone ever heard from the savior of the planet.  No tears were held back, even from the prideful Cid Highwind as they gazed upon Cloud's lifeless form held lovingly by their friend, Tifa Lockheart. 

            The touching scene even evoked a few tears from Rufus, who had been standing away from the group, listening to every word that was said.  Rufus wanted to personally thank Cloud for defeating Sephiroth and fighting for the good of the planet, but that chance would never come as Cloud became another victim of Sephiroth and Meteor's wraith.

            The silence was abruptly broken by the sound of Barret's PHS.  The burly man embarrassingly took out the phone and stepped away from the crowd, hoping that whoever was calling had something good to tell them.

            "Yeah, what is it!" Barret said brusquely.  "Reeve?  Dat you?  Now's not a good time man.  Cloud's dead.  No, it wasn't no Chaos.  He got some wound in his gut.  Probably from Sephiroth.  Yeah, we'll figure somethin', but now's not the time.  By tonight?  Sure, we'll call.  Chaos?  Not sure, some honky with a shotgun shot the flying freak and he went flapping off.  Yeah, we gotta find him too.  Marlene's in Kalm?  She's not hurt, is she?  Good.  I'll tell everyone," the man said before hanging up.

            Cid and Nanaki stole a glance at the man waiting for him to relay the news from Reeve.  Before Barret could say anything, Cid spoke first.

            "Before we go and rescue Reeve, we've gotta bury Cloud," the man said with respect.

            "Don' you worry.  He knows.  We'll call him tonight, after we've paid our respects," Barret replied.

            "Also, Chaos is on the loose.  He'll need to be dealt with," Nanaki added.  

            Barret nodded his head and slowly made his way to Tifa.  Yuffie was hugging the fighter and bawling over Cloud's death.  Barret didn't want to stop them from their mourning, but there were many things that needed to be done and they had little time to spare.

            "Tifa, I'd hate to tell ya, but we got to bury Cloud now.  Reeve called.  We still gotta lot to do and it hurts me to see Spike like this, but we've gots ta move on," the giant man said as gently as he could.

            "No, we can't bury him," Tifa said sternly.

            The rest of AVALANCHE shot their heads up in confusion over her statement.  

            "Cloud, never wanted to be buried.  I know it sounds stupid, but when we were kids just after my mother died, he and I talked.  He told me how he never wanted to be buried in the ground knowing that his body was just going to rot away into dust.  He told me that he always wanted to be burned, like how ancient kings and heroes used to be burnt on a funeral pyre.  I never thought much about those words, until now.  It's not something he told me to do for him, but I know he'd want it that way.  It's the least I can do," Tifa said trying to fight back more tears.

            Barret and Cid nodded their heads in acknowledged.

            "Ya think we should put Cait Sith with Cloud?" Yuffie said while sniffing back some tears.

            "I think he would like that," Tifa said while stroking the young ninja's hair.

            "Yeah, I'm sure we can find some firewood or some shit like that.  But what I want to know is, who he is," Cid asked while pointing his spear directly at Rufus.

            Rufus, who had been standing silently off to the side suddenly spoke up.

            "The name's John," Rufus said casually. 

            "Got a last name, John?" Barret asked suspiciously.

            "Yeah, I do," Rufus stuttered a bit.  _Last name, last name. What name should I use?  What should I say?  Can't say ShinRa.  Hmm . . Galt?  Smith?  Brown?  Nah, too cheesy.  Oh, I know!_  "It's Woolfe.  John Woolfe."

            "And what the hell were you doin' prancing around here for?" Barret interrogated the man.

            "Barret!  The man saved us from Chaos, I think we owe him a bit of gratitude," Tifa chided.

            "Oh, well . . . I guess, but he could be some ShinRa spy or something," Barret said losing his thunder.

            "I'm not a ShinRa spy.  I'm here to talk to whoever's in charge of Midgar to ask them to stop the mako-reactors," Rufus said, hoping that would strike some agreeable conversation.

            "You want to stop mako-harvesting?  Well, it seems you met up with the right crowd.  We're AVALANCHE," Nanaki said diplomatically.

            "Yeah, so I've heard.  I probably arrived at a bad time, but if you all are still on your mission to stop all the mako-reactors, then please let me lend you a hand," Rufus said while cautiously eyeing all the members.

            Barret and Cid looked at each other and shrugged, not wanting to assume the position as leader after Cloud's death.  Nanaki didn't voice any objections and Yuffie was too engrossed in collecting Cait Sith's remains to pay attention to the conversation at hand.  Tifa stared intently at Rufus, letting her gaze study the man who offered to help their small group.  

            The fighter carefully laid Cloud's head on the soft ground as she stood up and wiped away the tears from her face.  Dirt and blood stained the young warrior's body, but it didn't detract from her natural beauty.  Rufus stared in amazement at the woman who he recognized from wanted posters as the martial artist, Tifa Lockheart.  

            He remembered having her and the big black man, Barret Wallace, in captivity at Junon shortly after Meteor had been summoned.  Rufus had only seen her through television monitors, giving John the duty of interviewing her in case she tried to attack.  He had heard about her skills as a martial artist and knew that she and Mr. Wallace had both killed many ShinRa soldiers.  Though those few images of her on the monitor screens, he could still see that she carried the same headstrong demeanor from her capture, despite the fact that one of their comrades had turned into a demon and their leader lay dead at her feet.  Rufus had always thought that she put on an act, but now that he was standing face to face with the female AVALANCHE member, he shuddered at her commanding gaze.

            "Let me think about it.  Until then, you can help us gather wood to build Cloud's funeral pyre.  Will that be alright?" Tifa asked.

            "That would be fine," Rufus said, willing to take whatever answer was given at this conjecture.

            "Good.  The name's Tifa Lockheart by the way.  Thank you for helping us back there," Tifa forced a smile.

            The remaining members introduced themselves to Rufus who still felt as if he was being scrutinized.  This feeling didn't bother Rufus as he had suffered under his father's scrutiny all his life.  He helped them gather enough wood to build a funeral pyre for their fallen leader.  Though no one had asked, Tifa had assumed the position as their new leader giving out orders and assessing what needed to be done.  She acted the same when she was the leader of AVALANCHE for the short time they were trying to find Cloud, but the only difference is her melancholy look would never be replaced with joy for finding Cloud safe and sound.  

            Rufus fell in line with the other members of AVALANCHE who all helped collect wood.  As he brought a pile of wood over to the spot where Cloud lay, he noticed Tifa's intense gaze upon him once more.

            "You seem to be pretty good with a gun.  Can I give you a test?" Tifa asked stiffly.

            "Certainly," Rufus said with confidence in his sharp-shooting skills.  

            "Good, I want you to try this weapon.  It's called the Death Penalty," Tifa said while picking up Vincent's weapon, which rested on the ground where he had transformed.  

            Rufus accepted the long rifle and stared in awe at the craftsmanship of the gun.  "This is a very nice rifle, whose is it?"

            "It was Vincent Valentine's gun, but I'm not sure if he's human anymore to use it again," Tifa said sadly while trying to keep her eyes off of the bloody metal arm and boots piled on the ground where Vincent last stood.

            "Vincent Valentine?" Rufus echoed, remembering how Tseng spoke about the ex-Turk.  

            "Yes, you knew him?" Tifa asked curiously.

            "No, just heard about him, that's all," Rufus answered.  He wanted to learn more about the ex-Turk, but now was not the time.

            "Very well, are you ready?" Tifa said giving Rufus a questioning look.

            "As ready as I'll ever be," Rufus added while testing the weight and sight of the gun.

            Tifa nodded her head and walked over to Yuffie who was still collecting Cait Sith's remains.  The two talked in whispers and Rufus saw the young ninja nod her head.  Rufus wasn't sure what the young princess of Wutai had to do with his test, so he cautiously eyed Barret who was glaring at him while delivering his pile of wood.  No sooner had he diverted his attention did he hear Tifa shout at him and a flash of metal shot through the air.

            "Shoot!"

            Rufus had to react on pure reflexes as he cocked the Death Penalty and fired at the metal throwing-star hurtling through the air.  In a split second, the throwing star was fired off its natural course and came careening down towards the soft earth.  He had never done tests like that since he last trained under Tseng.  Luckily for him, he still had the skills to shoot accurately under such pressure and with a new weapon he had never used before.

            "It looks like you've proven yourself, John.  Welcome to AVALANCHE," the woman said while extending her hand to Rufus.

            Rufus took her hand and noticed how she had such a strong grip.  "Thank you for having me aboard."

            "Sure we can trust him Tifa?" Barret asked while carrying a bundle of wood over his shoulders.

            "I'm sure, and if he turns out to be a spy, then you can kill him," Tifa said flatly while giving a cautious glance to Rufus.

            "Yeah, I like that job.  So you better not be lyin' ya fo.  Or big poppa Barret's gonna ice you," Barret said while pointing his gun arm at Rufus.

            Rufus merely shook his head in amusement at the large man's threats.  Barret somehow reminded him of a combination of Casey and Donna.  Picturing that combination somehow lessened his trepidation over the large man and for the first time, Rufus felt relaxed around the group.  He wasn't sure what sort of relationship AVALANCHE had, but he was finding it more interesting every minute.  

            It was mid-day when the group finished gathering enough wood to build Cloud's funeral pyre.  They built it in the same place where he fell, carefully placing his body on the piles of wood.  Cid had soaked the wood with fuel from the Highwind and Cait Sith's mangled pieces were also placed carefully around the pyre.  

            Yuffie questioned whether or not to include Vincent's metal arm and boots, but no one was certain that Vincent was still alive or if Chaos had taken over his body completely.  The young ninja resigned to include them into the pyre, giving the excuse that if Vincent were still alive; he would need a change in wardrobe to lighten up his drab appearance.

            Tifa carefully folded the Ultima Weapon under Cloud's lifeless arms and stood over his body saying a silent prayer.  Her eyes were already red with her previous tears as she stepped back to let the rest of AVALANCHE give their final prayers for their fallen leader.  Rufus also gave Cloud a moment of silence to show the respect he earned for the mercenary.  

            Everyone had stood in a line bowing their heads in mourning.  Tifa had insisted on starting the fire and nobody objected to her pleas.  Equipping her fire materia, she closed her eyes to let the fresh tears fall down her face before casting a fire spell on the pyre.  The fuel caught on fire quickly and the entire pyre of wood soon bellowed in a ball of flames.  The fire from the funeral pyre rose up so high, that inhabitants in Kalm could see the steady blaze amidst the afternoon sun.  

            "Yuffie, may I borrow your dagger?" Tifa asked the young princess of Wutai.

            Yuffie handed Tifa the dagger cautiously, eyeing the martial artist to make sure that Tifa was in the right state of mind.

            Tifa unsheathed the dagger and in one swift motion and grabbed the loose ends of her hair to cut them off.  Everyone stood shocked by her actions, though slightly relieved the fighter hadn't decided to end her life.  A gentle breeze blew Tifa's freshly cut hair, which fell past her shoulders.  Tifa returned Yuffie's dagger and held out the hair she cut.

            "Cloud, I hope that you're at peace now and you can finally find her in the Promised Land.  There were so many things that we left unsaid and now that you're dead, I won't ever be able to tell you how much I loved you.  But I'm going to go ahead and say it now.  Cloud Strife, I loved you . . . I loved you with all my heart, but I also made a promise to be happy and I will uphold that promise.  I will live as you wished me to, but I will live in your memory and for our last promise to each other.  Please, be at peace," Tifa said softly before releasing her hair and letting the wind blow it off into the fire.

            No other words could have been more complete or fitting for Cloud's eulogy.  Everyone stood in silence while the fire blazed fiercely.  As the remaining members of AVALANCHE and Rufus all mourned the loss of the planet's savoir, the Promised Land welcomed the soul of the one man who defeated Sephiroth and returned balance and order to the lifestream.  There he met all those who had given their lives to protect the planet including a certain flower-girl who greeted him with open arms.

_____

A/N:     I'm going to finish the last two chapters of "The Search is Over" and then continue onto the next installment of this fic.  I'm really starting to love this fic more and more.  But next update probably won't be for a month, so I hope you can bear with me.  ^_^


	9. All the President's Men

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 9: All the President's Men**

"Did you know that your great-grandmother used to live in one of these houses? I can't believe they built Midgar over this ancient city," Matilda King said reminiscing.

"Not now mother, I'm trying to iron out our plans," Nicholas said while holding a PHS to his ear.

"Hmph, just like the young. They never appreciate the value of history."

Nicholas rolled his eyes at his mother as he waited for the answer on the other line. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to issue an all points bulletin. State in there that the ShinRa-King Corporation will give over one million gil to whomever can bring the dead body of John ShinRa to Midgar. Who is this? Just the leader of the ShinRa-King Corporation, that's all you need to know. If your bulletin does work, then you'll be pleased to know you'll receive fifty thousand in gil for your services. I hope that that will convince you to broadcast my request. Oh no, thank you," Nicholas smirked as he finished the conversation.

"Is it done?"

"Yes, it is, but there's one more thing I think we should do."

"And what's that? We'll already have the other ShinRa out of our way with that bulletin," Matilda questioned her son.

"I think we should make the current President aware that we mean business. It's time we start using our big guns," Nicholas said coldly before dialing another set of numbers on his PHS.

Matilda King stared emotionlessly at her son. He was starting to act more and more like his father everyday. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that evil was inherited through the ShinRa genes and watching her son scheme was proof of that. If her son had his father's malice, she knew she would pay with her life if she ever betrayed him.

_

* * *

_

"Yo, dude-man!"

"The name's Thomas, Reno."

"Yeah, whatever. But have you and your buddies found a way to get us all out of this little cave?"

"Well, other than the emergency shaft that an able-bodied individual can escape through, no, we haven't figured out another way. There's too much debris cluttered overtop an emergency evacuation route that was built over fifty years ago."

"Yes, I calculate over a hundred tons of rubble need to be moved out before we can open the hatch up to the city, and once we've gotten that fixed, we'll have to figure out how to get everyone out of Midgar," Eric added as he punched a few buttons on his calculator.

"Well, Einstein, I guess you guys have your work cut out for you. But aren't there any exits or emergency whatever-you-call-it out of the city? I'd think geniuses like you back in the day would have thought of things like that," Reno asked while twirling his nightstick around.

"Chris is trying to find that out. The blueprints for Old Midgar are well . . . old. The paper's faded and they're using design techniques that haven't been used in ages," Thomas said exasperated.

"That's cool with me. But make sure let me know once you find out," Reno said before meandering off and whistling an offbeat tune.

He sauntered over to where Rude and Elena were busy staring at the screen to a hand-held computer. Reno smirked as he watched the pair huddled close together like a couple while their eyes were glued to the tiny screen.

"So what are you two lovebirds looking at? Porn?"

"Reno! Will you get your mind out of the gutter for just one minute!" Elena blushed.

"What, is it porn?" Reno said excitedly while trying to inch his way closer to the tiny screen.

"I wouldn't get excited. It's not good news," Rude said while handing the hand-held console to his partner.

"Not good news? What porn wouldn't be good news? Oh wait, don't tell me you're looking at those guy on guy sites, are you?" Reno joked before letting his eyes fall on the screen.

Elena rolled her eyes as she waited for Reno to finally read the vital information she and Rude had been looked at earlier. She was at a loss of words for what to do with the new information they received. She hoped that Reno would take the news seriously and actually give out orders. Everything was much easier when Tseng was still around. At least she knew that things would get done without any wisecracks. Though she tried her best to hide it, she missed him.

"Well I'll be damned, someone's trying to pull a fast one on us," Reno said with a snort.

"Who do you think issued the bulletin? I mean, I've never heard of the ShinRa-King Corporation," Elena asked.

"I have two individuals in mind, but neither of which I can prove to be connected. What worries me the most isn't their threat to kill anyone named John ShinRa, but this second message, the one to Black Adder."

"Well, what are we going to do about Rufus? I mean, if he is posing as John ShinRa, then his life is in danger," Elena asked.

"We do nothing right now. I know Rufus and he can take care of himself. These two assassination targets though, cannot," Reno said pointing to the tiny screen.

"But, isn't our job to protect the President?"

"It is Elena, but right now Reeve is the President and we have no idea where Rufus is. But I wouldn't worry about Rufus, Tseng trained him so he knows how to take care of himself," Reno said his former leader's name softly.

He knew that Elena held a soft spot in her heart for the former Turk. He wasn't one to admit it, but Tseng was like a father figure to him and bringing back memories of him only hurt. But Reno and Elena were both Turks and they knew better than to give into their emotions. Reno watched Elena nod her head in compliance and felt relieved that she remembered her duties.

A Turk had to push aside all feelings so they could get the job done. Rude had mastered this ability and Elena was starting to find her cold demeanor. Even Reno had to muster a stoic face when necessary, though being a smart-ass was his main forte. Reno watched his partners satisfied that they were ready to start a new mission. Reno twitched his lip and stared at the tiny screen reading the name of the black market assassin who accepted the ShinRa-King Corporation's offer.

"Black Adder. I never thought we'd cross his path ever again," Reno snorted.

Rude cracked his knuckles at the mention of that familiar name. "It's time to work."

"I agree my hairless friend. Elena, it's time to do some real Turk work. Grab your guns and sunshades. We're heading out to the surface," Reno said with a broad grin.

_

* * *

_

Reeve rubbed his temples slowly trying to calm his nerves and ease the pounding headache he was getting. It had been several hours since he last talked to Barret and he was getting worried. _I hope that they haven't abandoned me after everything. I need their help._ He released a heavy sigh and let his eyes wander around the dimly lit room.

A lamp started to flicker as the oil burned and popped under the heat of a small flame. The lamp did little to illuminate the room, but it was enough to let Reeve work. He could vaguely make out the shapes of old pots and pans for the extension of what was once a kitchen. All the food that had been stored in the pantry had long been eaten by rats or molded into new forms of life.

Reeve checked the battery on his PHS and scrunched his brow in frustration. The battery was getting low and there would be no way to recharge it until they could get out of the underground city of the small team of soldiers cam back with supplies, if they even wanted to return. He had been fortunate enough that a majority of Midgar had complied with his orders and evacuated, but there had been many who tried to brave Meteor. Reeve didn't even want to fathom the death and destruction that had been scattered about aboveground.

He refocused his attention on the thousands of civilians huddled together underground in the various abandoned houses and buildings. None of the buildings had any heat or light. The only thing that held the residents of Midgar together was hope, but that hope was slowly faded as each second ticked by and each hungry child cried for the comfort of their mother. Reeve had tried his best to maintain the patience of Midgar's citizens, but even he was starting to lose that precious hope.

"President Anderson."

Reeve turned his attention to one of his assigned guards. "Yes, what is it?"

"The Turks told me that they were going on a reconnaissance mission above-ground. They said they would get in contact with you as soon as the mission is over and that the contents of the mission were to be held classified until further notice."

"Classified? Did Reno indicate what prompted this mission?" Reeve asked confused.

"No, sir. All they said was that they would return as quickly as possible and assigned my troop to protect you," the solider responded mechanically.

_What are those three up to? Are they going to abandon me also?_ Reeve knew that the Turks always did things for the good of ShinRa, but had no inkling as to what they needed to do on the surface. He had no choice but to trust their decisions.

"Very well, any news from the fifth infantry division?"

"No sir. We should hear from them soon, but we don't know the status of the situation on the surface and whether or not they could find any supplies or aide. But I already called in the radio broadcast for help as you requested."

"Good, then all we have to do is wait. You're dismissed, but please alert me immediately of any news from the fifth infantry division or the Turks," Reeve said with authority.

Reeve watched the solider salute and leave the room. He breathed out in exhaustion and planted his head on the table to rest. He hadn't been able to sleep in over thirty hours and the fatigue was starting to catch up to him. Stress and anxiety have been the only things keeping the overtaxed man awake.

He let his eyes slowly close and was about to fall asleep with the loud buzzing of his PHS woke him up. Reeve nearly fell out of his chair as he clutched the end of the table. His heart beat rapidly from the sudden scare and his hands frantically reached for the PHS that lay on the table.

"Reeve here. Tifa, I'm glad to finally hear from you all. I'm sorry about Cloud. I know . . . he was a good man. But what's your situation? I see . . . Chaos will have to be dealt with, but I also have a predicament on my hands. Right now a majority of Midgar's citizens are all trapped under the city of Midgar. Yes, mostly everyone is alive and well, for now at least. I know there were some on the surface who tried to brave Meteor; I don't know if they made it. There is an escape passage, but you have to climb a ladder and it's apparently a small hole that can fit only one person at a time. I know we'll never be able to get all of Midgar out like that."

Reeve paused as he listened to Tifa speak on the other end. She sounded like the same Tifa who took control of AVALANCHE during the short period when Cloud was missing. It was the cool collected Tifa who pushed aside all her feelings to get the job done. Reeve smiled knowing that he wasn't the only one struggling to keep their cool. _I'm not alone in this fight._

"Right now my staff are working on trying to find another exit that can accommodate Midgar's citizens. There was a helicopter chute that was used to bring everyone underground during the evacuation, but tons of metal and rubble are blocking that exit. Where's the opening located? Sector 8. Do you think you all will be able to dig us out? At this time Tifa, any help would be greatly appreciated. I know. Do what you need to do, but just don't forget us. Thanks."

Tifa's soft reassuring words 'take care' were the last things he heard before he finally hung up. He breathed a soft sigh of relief knowing that AVALANCHE was going to see if they could get some help to dig them out. It was going to be an impossible task for the small group to do it themselves, but he had faith that they would find the means. If the group couldn't dig up Midgar by themselves, they had the charisma and spirit to lead an army to do it for them.

Reeve yawned and put his PHS back onto the table, hoping that it wouldn't ring again to disturb his much needed rest. Resting his head on the table once more, Reeve drifted off to a soundless sleep.

"President Anderson?" Thomas entered the small room where Reeve slept.

Chris and Eric followed closely behind as they watched Reeve's sleeping form.

"Should we wake him?" Chris whispered.

"No, let him get some rest. I think he's worked hard enough," Eric replied.

"But what about telling him our plan? We've finally figured out how to get out of here," Thomas asked while holding Old Midgar's blueprints in his hands.

"That can wait until tomorrow. I think we should follow Reeve's lead and get some rest. There's going to be a lot of work for us to do tomorrow," Chris yawned while walking sluggishly out of the room.

Thomas merely nodded his head and followed Chris trying to keep his eyes open in the dimly lit room.

"Good night President Anderson, sleep well," Eric whispered softly before making his own exit.

_

* * *

_

Tifa gazed absent-mindedly at the sunset as she clicked the PHS off. She felt a light breeze blow past her, tickling the back of her neck. She shivered slightly as the new sensation washed over her. Tifa hadn't felt the soft breeze on the back of her neck since she was five. Her hair had always been long and she had never thought to get it cut, but then she had always thought Cloud would be by her side.

She bit her lip musing over all the drastic changes in her life. She should feel happy for finally saving the world, but she lost her best friend in the process and nothing could lighten her mood. Pushing back the raw emotions, she turned around to face the other members of AVALANCHE. The pop and crackle of the funeral pyre still slowly burned behind her, giving her the much-needed warmth.

"Everyone, Reeve needs our help. He says that a majority of Midgar's citizens are safe in an underground city."

"Underground city? Does he mean da slums?" Barret asked confused.

"No, he's referring to Old Midgar," Rufus spoke.

"Old Midgar? Yeah mean the old town that Midgar was built over? My grandpappy used to tell me stories about it, but I didn't think it was true," Cid said between a drag of his cigarette.

"They built a city on top of a city? Whoa, that's so cool!" Yuffie squealed.

"Well, now that we know that, Reeve has asked us to see if there's anyway we can clear the rubble over Sector 8. He says there's a helicopter shaft that needs to be opened so they can let everyone out. There is one escape hatch that they have, but it can only fit one person at a time and you have to climb a ladder to get out. Now I'm sure you all know that there are children and the elderly down there, so that one escape hatch isn't really much of an option. Do any of you have any ideas for how we're going to clear the rubble over Sector 8?" Tifa asked.

"If I had a good coal mining crew, like I did back 'n Corel, I could do it," Barret said with a nod.

"You'll also need some heavy machinery judging by the size of that huge dump pile. Might be able to find somethin' big in Kalm, but I'd put my money on Junon for equipment," Cid said as he rubbed his chin.

"To get forces from Junon to Midgar would take too much time. There should be some equipment in the mountains along Kalm. It used to be a mining town before mako-reactors took over," Rufus added.

"Don't forget Tifa that there's still the matter of Vincent. I suggest that we split into two groups: one to help Reeve dig out Sector 8 and another to search for Vincent. There's no telling what sort of destruction he may be causing if he hasn't or can't transformed back."

"That's a good idea Nanaki. I'd hate to split the group up, but if Chaos has taken control of Vincent, then we have a pressing matter on our hands. Barret, do you think you can round up a group of miners in Kalm and set them to work?"

"You can count on me!" the large man responded with confidence.

"Cid, I want you to go with Barret and use your engineering skills to help out as much as you can. I know you probably don't want to, but ask Shera for help. She can bring a crew from Rocket Town and Junon if necessary."

"Don't worry, I'll call and be nice and shit to her," Cid said while rolling his eyes.

"I mean it Cid, you better start treating her like a lady!" Tifa glared the pilot down.

"Yes ma'am!" Cid mockingly saluted.

Tifa responded by kicking the pilot in the shins. Cid cursed loudly as he grabbed his injured leg and jumped up and down.

"What the hell was that for?" Cid spat.

"For not taking me seriously. Nanaki, I know you won't be able to dig, but I'll need you to stay with Barret and Cid. You're the only one who can sniff out exactly where all the survivors are and your agility will be useful to climb over all that rubble," Tifa said while scratching behind his ear.

"I will certainly do my best. But what about Chaos?"

"Yuffie, John and I will take care of him. I trust Yuffie with her speed and John has proven himself with a gun. We'll need some firepower if we have to fight Chaos. I suggest we all head to Kalm to get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll all get to work," Tifa ordered.

"Good, I'll finally see Marlene," Barret said with a smile.

The members of AVALANCHE boarded the Highwind for the short journey to Kalm. Rufus felt agitated for not having any say in the orders that were given. He made his way towards Tifa who stood on the deck of the Highwind.

"Ms. Lockheart."

"Please, just call me Tifa."

"Tifa, I need to have a word with you," Rufus asked coldly.

"What about?"  
"I think I should go with Barret and Cid to help rescue the citizens in Midgar. I know a lot about the city that they don't and could help find the helicopter shaft better than your four-legged friend can sniff them out."

"Are you questioning my orders?" Tifa asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Yes, I am. I believe it would be a much more viable option to have Nanaki and I switch places. I'm sure Nanaki is very capable in battle and I know the layout of Midgar probably better than any of you," Rufus trying to intimidate Tifa.

"Have you ever seen Chaos kill before? Because if you haven't then I suggest you listen to my orders. Chaos is the King of Demons. He's faster than any of us and could easily rip us apart in hand-to-hand combat. Nanaki is a capable fighter, but between Yuffie, Nanaki and myself, none of us have any effective long-ranged attacks. You and Barret are the only ones with guns that can possibly injure Chaos before he gets into striking range. Now unless you have mining skills that I don't know about, my orders stay and you're coming with me," Tifa said forcefully.

Rufus started at Tifa with his mouth slightly agape. He hadn't been talked sternly like that since his training days with Tseng. The fire in Tifa's eyes practically burned holes into his face as he tried to think of any logical argument that could help his position. He was tempted to reveal his true identity to her. That would be the best way to get him to stay close to Midgar so he could contact the Turks, but he knew of AVALANCHE's hate for the ShinRa name. There was nothing he could do to make her change her mind.

"I see your point. But there's one request that I'd like to make."

"What's is that John?"  
"Can I get your guarantee that Reeve will stop all the mako-reactors and get Midgar back on it's feet?"

"I know that if anyone can do it, Reeve can. I'll make sure that he gets the message. Now can I ask you a question?"

Rufus nodded his head and waited for Tifa's question.

"Why are you so adamant on shutting down the reactors. You seem to have a lot of knowledge about Midgar and ShinRa, almost like you work for them," Tifa asked suspiciously.

Rufus stiffened as he listened to Tifa's question. He didn't realize that she was so perceptive.

"To answer your questions, yes I did work for them, but I don't right now. And let's just say that my mother taught me better to live for the planet than to reap its resources," Rufus answered trying not to give out too much information.

Tifa giggled as she listened to his answer. Rufus stared at her bewildered at her sudden change in mood.

"I never pictured you as the type to listen to his own mother. Either way, I'm glad for your change of heart. Just expect me to read you bedtime stories or tuck you into bed like Mommy used to," Tifa said with a wink.

Rufus blushed as Tifa slyly walked past him. He wasn't sure if she was joking or being serious. The image of the beautiful fighter feeding him milk and cookies brought a smile to his face. The rebel group that had killed many of his men were all normal humans. Rufus shook his head confused. He still held a grudge over the group for what they did to his company, but their actions paled in comparison to what ShinRa, Inc. did to the world.

He stayed on the deck while the Highwind made its short journey to the outskirts of Kalm. Rufus could see hundreds of tents being set-up as refugees walked here and there to find food or shelter. Watching the endless crowds of people gathering to watch the Highwind land, Rufus gripped the railing tighter. These people were all helpless and in need thanks to ShinRa. If his father were still alive, he would probably associate all the tiny dots of people as ants waiting to be crushed. But these people weren't ants: they were survivors.

They had their freedom and money taken from them courtesy of ShinRa, they also had a giant rock fall on their planet, again courtesy of ShinRa but they weren't crushed. The people Rufus saw scattered about in the tents and along the outskirts of Kalm were the living: striving to survive. These were his people and though ShinRa never made an oath to protect its citizens, things were going to change.

The Highwind made a soft landing on the grassy plains. Various people crowed up alongside the Highwind, hoping that the airship had some food or medical supplies to distribute to them. The other members of AVALANCHE came up on deck and were also greeted by the cries of help.

Cid stared at the crowd slightly baffled at what to say to them. The Highwind had some food and supplies, but not enough for the large crowd of people gathered around them. The other members were also at a loss for words as they disembarked from the vessel. Rufus knew that they needed to dig out Midgar's citizens and find Chaos, but these people needed to be fed. He made his way to Tifa's side who stared at the crowd in contemplation.

"Tifa, can the crew of the Highwind travel to Junon to get some supplies while everyone else carries out their missions?" Rufus asked softly so no one else could hear.

Tifa nodded her head. "I think we're going to have to do that. There are a few provisions we have on the ship right now. We should keep the ones that we'll need and hand out the extras."

"I think that would be wise."

"I never realized that there were so many people suffering. It's going to take a while before we can all pick up the pieces," Tifa said sadly.

Rufus watched the fighter as her face scanned the crowd with empathy. He could see her heart pouring out to the men, women and children all starving. The other members of AVALANCHE wore the same expressions as they tried to tell the crowd that they didn't have any supplies for them.

"Do you think that your pilots can fly to Junon tonight?" Rufus asked Cid.

"Yeah, they probably can. What the fuck would they need to go to Junon for?"

"To get some supplies for these people."

Cid merely nodded his head and he turned his face towards Tifa for any sign of her approval. When he looked around, he couldn't find Tifa with them in the crowd.

"Do you know where Tifa went?" Cid asked.

"No, she was standing right here a minute ago," Rufus replied as he looked around him.

Their question was answered as Tifa came back up on the deck with a large box. She walked over to where Barret stood and whispered a few words to him. The large man nodded while trying to keep the box away from prying hands.

"Listen up people! We don't got much to give, but we's going to Junon to get some supplies and food for you all. What we do gots goes to all the women 'n children," Barret yelled at the top of his lungs.

The crowd slowly quieted down, relieved that they had been given some hope for more food. Silently, women holding babies and small children no older than twelve lined up in front of the large man. Barret handed out the little provisions they had to the needy and frowned when he got to the bottom of the box. There were still so many people who needed a decent meal.

As the man handed the last box to a woman with two children, the bright blue eyes of a little girl inched slowly towards him. She held her hands out hesitantly waiting for the box of food he had given all the women and children before her. Barret looked into her blue eyes and felt a pang of guilt as he looked inside the empty box. He didn't have the heart to tell her that there weren't any more provisions to hand out.

The little girl reminded him so much of his adopted daughter, Marlene. He still hadn't seen her yet and hoped that she and Elmyra were both safe. Staring back down at the girl, he asked himself if he could deny her a decent meal. He realized that the answer was no. He would never want Marlene to miss a meal or starve and this little girl was not going to starve tonight.

"Tifa, do we got any more?"

"If you don't count the food I reserved for us, no," Tifa said sadly.

"Then get me one box. I'll skip out a meal," Barret said satisfied he found a solution.

Tifa headed back below the deck and returned with one of Barret's rations. She smiled as she watched Barret hand the little girl the box.

"Here ya go. That woulda been my breakfast, but I think you need it more than me," Barret said while patting the girl on the head.

The girl smiled shyly and nodded her head in appreciation. She hugged the box of food closely to her heart as her blue eyes sparkled with joy and hope. She started to run off to her tent but stopped halfway and turned back around to face Barret.

"Thank you mister!" the girl shouted before turning around again and running into the crowd.

Barret smiled at the simple bit of kindness he could offer to the small girl. He wished that he had more rations to hand out to everyone, but there weren't enough. Other members of AVALANCHE also sacrificed one of their rations to a few of the needy, but it still wasn't enough to save everyone.

Tifa put a comforting hand on Barret's arm, knowing what was going through the giant's mind.

"I know you want to help everyone, but this is all we can do for now. Let's go. I'm sure Marlene misses you and we need to tell Elmyra what happened to Aeris in person."

Barret put his hand over hers and squeezed it tightly. He knew Tifa was right. There was so much that needed to be done that he had no power to do right now. He swore to himself that he would make sure that the citizens of Kalm and Midgar wouldn't have to suffer like this anymore. He blamed himself for North Corel's poverty but swore to end it as soon as he humanly could. Barret Wallace was on a mission to save.

The AVALANCHE crew watched the Highwind take off on its mission to Junon. The crowd waved tearfully at the airship, wishing for its safe return with the promised supplies. Rufus followed the rest of AVALANCHE as they weaved their way through the large crowds scattered about. They finally stopped at a small house where Barret knocked on the large wooden door.

An older woman answered the door as she eyed the large black man in front of her.

"You must be Mr. Wallace. Marlene has been waiting anxiously for you."

"Thank you for taking care of my daughter," Barret said shaking the woman's hand.

Elmyra would have said a few more words, but the high-pitched squeal of an excited five-year old interrupted their conversation.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Marlene ran past Elmyra to jump into Barret's arms

"Marlene! Oh, Daddy missed you so much sweetie," Barret said as tears almost fell from his eyes. "Have you been a good girl and playin' nice with Ms. Gainsborough?"

"Yes, Daddy. Auntie Elmyra taught me how to draw," Marlene said while clinging to Barret's neck.

"That's a good girl."

"Want to see Daddy?" Marlene said excitedly as she jumped down to the ground and started to drag Barret into the house.

The other members watched as the little girl coerced the strongest member of AVALANCHE into the small house. They smiled sheepishly at Elmyra who still stood outside the door.

"You all can come in as well," Elmyra politely said. "There are a lot of questions I want to ask and I'm sure you want to know how the world fared while you were fighting for it."

They all crowded into the house as Elmyra started to boil some water over the stove for tea. Many of the members had never met Elmyra as they each greeted her with a warm smile. Cid made himself comfortable in one of the recliners in the corner while Nanaki sprawled out on the carpet next to the fireplace. The soft hum of classical music could be heard playing on the radio as everyone made themselves comfortable.

Tifa fidgeted with her gloves as she tried to find the right moment to talk to Elymra about their journey, their pitfalls and most importantly, Aeris's death. She watched as the older woman offered tea and cookies to everyone and felt her heart beat faster. Reeve had told her that he already visited Elmyra personally to inform her about Aeris's death, but Tifa had been there and she felt that Elmyra had a right to know exactly what happened.

Elmyra finished serving everyone some tea and walked over to Tifa who still stood uncomfortably.

"Tifa, where's Cloud? I just noticed that he's not here."

"That's something I need to talk to you about. Is it alright if we talk in private?"

Elmyra nodded and the pair walked upstairs to the top floor. The older woman could tell that the news was not good. It saddened her to know that the great people were always the ones who died. Great people like Aeris. Elmyra didn't feel any resentment for the group after hearing about Aeris's death. Her only regret was not being there with her. She hoped that Tifa had some comforting words about her adopted-daughter's final moments. But Elmyra knew from Tifa's eyes that she was not the only one to experience a loss of someone dear to them.

Rufus watched the exchange with curiosity. He tried not to let that curiosity get the best of him as he returned to his tea and cookies. Barret and Marlene were busy drawing pictures in the corner while Yuffie tried to test her artistic abilities on the table. He eyed Cid who had fallen fast asleep on the recliner. Nanaki was almost asleep as the sentient creature yawned, letting his tongue curl up in his large muzzle.

Rufus closed his eyes imitating Cid. He was grateful for the quiet moment and the soft classical music in the background. It was certainly a better change than Casey's country music. He laughed as he wondered what the old man was doing right now. He would have to return to the Kalm clinic before they left to check on him and Donna.

Suddenly, the loud buzz of the emergency broadcast system blared over the radio. No one seemed to listen as Cid started to snore in the corner and the others were engrossed in the back of their eyelids or a drawing. Rufus kept his eyes closed as he listened to the announcement.

"We interrupt this program to bring you an updated bulletin. The ShinRa-King Corporation is offering a one million gil reward for the capture and death of John ShinRa. The body must be presented to the ShinRa-King Corporation in order to collect your reward. John ShinRa must be brought to them dead. This concludes this bulletin update."

Rufus had to grip the handles of the chair to prevent himself from falling out of it. He shot his eyes open and was relieved to see that no one seemed to hear the announcement but him. He hoped that he could find Reeve and his Turks to let them know he was safe, but now that he heard that announcement, he wasn't even sure that they were on his side anymore.

_The ShinRa-King Corporation? I need to find out who they are._

Slumping back in his chair, he slowly breathed in and out to calm himself. Fate was not working with him tonight. He had hoped to find the Turks after killing off Chaos with Tifa and Yuffie, but now with this announcement, he wasn't sure who was in control of ShinRa and whether or not they wanted him dead. Things were going to become much more complicated for Rufus and he hated that.


	10. Divide

Note:I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

Chapter 10:Divide

The air in Junon was tense as hundreds of volunteers gathered clothing and food to the small band of the fifth infantry division. Everyone had heard the news of Midgar's survivors underneath the rubble of the once great city. Many people were still struggling in the aftermath of Meteor, but there were many kindhearted people who poured out their hearts and resources. 

The band of men from the fifth infantry division stared at the growing pile of supplies in awe. They were lucky to have gotten to Junon as fast as they did, finding a large flock of chocobos that Chocobo Billy was willing to lend them. Now that they stared at the piles of provisions, they knew that getting back with all the supplies would be difficult. 

They only had enough chocobos for the men in the division and more boxes than they could possibly carry. 

"Captain Lynn, how are we going to get all the supplies back to Midgar?" one of the soldiers asked.

"I'm not sure Private Harris, but we'll think of something. We'll have to figure this one out in the morning. We've been riding all day and I don't think our chocobos can walk another step without a decent nights sleep," Captain Lynn said while stroking the neck of one of his chocobos.

The chocobo cooed as he rubbed his head deeper into Captain Lynn's hand. 

"I'll go ahead and set up some tents around Junon. Do you think we'll need to post any guards out tonight to make sure no one steals the supplies?"

"Yes, put two men each on two hour shifts. We're going to need every last bit of these supplies. I don't know how we're going to get them back to Midgar, but we're going to need them. Do you know if Lieutenant Darren has had any success contacting Midgar?"

"Yes, sir. They're negotiating what support they can offer us."

Captain Lynn merely nodded his head and breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that Junon was still cooperating with them. He knew that after President ShinRa died a lot of soldiers left their posts and there was talk of Junon freeing themselves from ShinRa rule. They were lucky that it hadn't happened yet.

"How about communicating with Midgar, has that been done yet?"

"Yes sir, we've already contacted Mr. Rivers back in Midgar. He knows we're here."

"Good job soldier. You're dismissed."

The brown-eyed Captain slowly took off his helmet and ran his hands through his short brown hair. He let his eyes gaze out into the distance where the sun was slowly setting over the ocean. He didn't think that he would live to see another sunset, but here he was watching it with his very own eyes. 

It was a sunset similar to this that he had taken his girlfriend Tina out onto the beach outside of Midgar. They had both taken off their shoes to let their bare feet imprint their footprints in the sand as they walked along the shoreline. He remembered how her brown eyes looked almost like diamonds as the light reflected off of them: how her long black hair blew in soft wisps with the breeze. She wore her favorite blue dress that rustled with the gentle wind.

He had been a nervous wreck when he tried to propose to her. He had never realized that asking a simple question could have been the most stressful event in his life. He knew that she was going to say 'yes,' in fact, she had hinted at wanting to get married. Despite all that, he still feared that she was going to laugh in his face or even worse, tell him 'no' and then leave him stupefied on the beach.

Luckily, none of those fears ever came to light she accepted his proposal with tears of joy in her eyes. It was one of the most memorable moments of his life. Whenever he saw the sunset the memory of that blissful day always resurfaced. Captain Michael Lynn closed his eyes and tried to picture where his fiancée was right now. He imagined her busy at work in the nurses station in Old Midgar. She was probably wearing her white nurse's dress and busily bandaging the arm of a soldier. 

There had been many who were injured during Meteor's fall. The number of casualties and injuries could have been much worse if they hadn't evacuated to Old Midgar. He had seen how Meteor ripped through metal and concrete, leaving nothing but dust and rubble in its wake. It took his squadron almost a whole day to climb over all the rubble to get to the outskirts of the city. No one could have survived on the surface of Midgar without some hope and a prayer, and even that didn't guarantee their safety. Captain Lynn was convinced that if they had stayed on the surface, everyone would have perished.

He grew a sudden fond appreciation for the smell of wildflowers and the feel of falling rain. All the things that he thought he would never see again were now the most precious and beautiful parts of nature. The world was beautiful and worth protecting. He hoped that the Junon army also shared his sentiments as he waited for one of his men to return from talking with whoever was in charge. 

Captain Lynn tore his eyes from the magnificent sunset and busily tied the chocobo's reins to a nearby tree. The other chocobos had already been tied and were fast asleep on the soft grassy ground. He knew that he would have to join them shortly if he wanted to be alert in the morning. Sauntering to his tent, he would have landed on his cot and fallen instantly asleep if he didn't notice the procession of soldiers heading his way.

Leading the group was an older man dressed in a neatly pressed dark blue ShinRa uniform that had many medals and ribbons adorning it, including an insignia that marked his rank as General. The short black hair had streaks of gray running through it, but his face still held a youthful appearance. Captain Lynn had never personally met General Matthews, but he knew that the General was the last high-ranking officer of ShinRa left alive. Quickly, Captain Lynn straightened up and saluted.

"General Matthews, sir."

"Captain Lynn," General Matthews said returning the salute.

"Did my Lieutenant inform you of the situation, sir?"

"Yes, he did. I also received a phone call from a gentleman named Eric Rivers who was Heideggar's aide. They're in a dire situation Captain and I can assure you that Junon will assist you by any means possible."

"Thank you General," Captain Lynn said as his eyes lit up with relief.

"No need to thank me. You and your boys have done a fine job collecting provisions. I'll have my men do the rest and have them guard the provisions for the night. You and your boys deserve a night to sleep. Tomorrow we'll send you with the provisions on the airship, Manifest. That should get you to Midgar by the end of the day."

Captain Lynn was overjoyed as he listened to the General's orders. All his earlier worries had been resolved and now he knew that they would get back to Midgar with everything President Reeve asked them to retrieve. 

"Thank you General. I'm sure the President will be very relieved to hear about this, sir," Captain Lynn again saluted.

"I'm sure he will. But we'll discuss this more in the morning Captain. Your orders now are to get a full eight hours of sleep and no less."

"Yes, sir!"

The General saluted and gave the Captain a warm smile before leaving with only two men. The remaining soldiers all gathered around the large stack of supplies and relieved two of his men who were supposed to have the first shift. Things were now looking up for him and his infantry. He had absolutely no doubt that they would complete this mission and the presence of the General solidified this feeling. There was still hope for this world and in humanity.

* * *

Mark Baker glanced at page after page of different names. Eventually, all the names started to form one homogenous blur that he couldn't decipher. He knew he could use his computer to do the same job, but he had never paid attention at training for how to access that program. He thought that inheriting his father's business would mean that he could take an extended vacation in Costa Del Sol delegating the worries of the bank to someone else. He was sorely wrong.

He never realized that his father actually did any work as President and CEO of the ShinRa Bank. In fact, it was his work that cemented his death as he refused to leave his office in the Upper plates of Midgar while Meteor came crashing down. The late Anthony Baker had been trying to solve the dilemma on how to legally transfer ShinRa, Inc.'s funds to President Reeve. He hadn't solved the problem in his lifetime and now the problem sat with his son in the Junon branch of the ShinRa Bank.

Mark stifled a yawn as he flipped the pages one by one. 

"No, no, no, no, no. Nope. Don't see the name here at all. No money for them."

Mark threw the mound of paper in his outbox on his newly acquired large oak desk. His new Secretary, Cathy, had walked in holding a report for him to review.

"So, Cathy, did we ever hear back from the ShinRa-King Organization?" Mark said as he traced his eyes from her long legs up to her white shirt that hid her cleavage.

"I'm sorry Mr. Baker, but they haven't called back. I did a check in ShinRa, Inc.'s files and didn't see any mention of them in there. I don't think we should give them access to any of ShinRa, Inc.'s funds sir," Cathy said addressing her new boss professionally.

"Yeah, I agree with you completely! I couldn't find their name in any of the corporate records. Say, you want to quit work early tonight? I've been really stressed lately and could really use a couple of beers." 

"I don't think we should Mr. Baker. There are a lot of things that we need to get done," Cathy said slightly concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. I shouldn't go partying while there are hundreds of people waiting for me to resolve all their financial problems. I just never expected being the President and CEO of the largest bank in the world could be so hard. I mean, I have so much work I need to do. Can't I just assign it to other people?" Mark said jokingly.

Cathy stifled a giggle as she watched him scratch his chin, which was adorned with bristles from not shaving for the past few hours. His slovenly appearance and unkempt hair made him look like he had just woken-up. She shook her heads as she placed the report in his inbox and removed the large stack of papers from his outbox.

"Unfortunately, we lost most of our staff to Meteor's scare, but don't worry Mr. Baker. I know you can get the job done."

"I hope so. Frankly, I think Dad made me Vice-President because I was his son," Mark said seriously.

Cathy couldn't think of anything else to say to help the situation. She slowly made her way back to her desk before turning to face him again.

"You know. I think he actually made you Vice-President because he knew you could do the job. I mean, you have the degree, you have the knowledge . . . now it's time to test it all, right?"

Mark turned his head towards his Secretary and stared at her confused. He had gone to Midgar's finest University and was raised in the banking business. He remembered his father taking him to the office and his father would play with him and they would make-believe that he was running the bank. He had seen the ins and outs for how to run a bank; he had just never done it on his own. But now it was the time to test himself and show the world everything his father taught him. It was time to stop playing the banker and begin acting like one.

"Thanks Cathy. I really appreciate that," Mark smiled at her encouraging words. "I'll do my best."  


Cathy smiled as she watched Mark's eyes lit up with energy. She started for the door when Mark's words interrupted her departure.

"Oh, Cathy? Could I ask you one more thing?"

"Yes, Mr. Baker?"

"Ok, two things. First, just call me Mark and second, could you teach me how to access all the files on this computer? I've only been able to find the games so far," Mark gave her a toothy grin.

"I certainly will, Mark. Let me take care of a few things and then I'll show you how to work the computer."

He watched as Cathy closed to door behind her and sighed heavily as he stared at the large pile of papers on his desk. He grabbed the report Cathy printed out and browsed through it. A small smile crept on his lips. _She should be running this bank, not me._ The intercom on his desk suddenly blared with Cathy's voice.

"Mr. Ba . . . I mean, Mark. I have the head of the ShinRa-King Organization on the other line for you."

"Good, go ahead and put him through. I know exactly what I need to say to him."

Mark heard the static on the intercom cut off as the phone on his desk started to ring. Mark straightened out his tie and opened up Cathy's report before answering the phone to officially reject the ShinRa-King Organization's request for funds. He took a deep breath before picking up the phone and in the most business-like voice he could muster, began to get to work.

* * *

It was around midnight and everyone in Kalm was fast asleep, everyone except for Cid Highwind. He had already taken a long nap almost skipping the wholesome meal that Elmyra and Tifa had prepared. He had seen the two women confide in each other about their heartaches. Cid had heard that Elmyra was only Aeris's adopted mother, but anyone would have cried for the loss of such a wonderful woman. Cid was glad Tifa had someone to share her feelings over Cloud's loss. She needed to clear her mind if she was going to lead AVALANCHE, but he knew that she was a capable woman and trusted her with his very life.

Cid carefully stepped around the sleeping bodies of all of his friends to get to the front door. He needed a cigarette and he needed one badly. The pilot finally reached the front door and spent little time stepping outside and lighting one of his cigarettes. His eyes closed in relaxation as he took a drag and blew all the smoke out into the open air.

He rubbed his left shin with the heel of his boot tenderly. Tifa had given him a nasty bruise when she kicked him. His thoughts wandered to her words and Cid pursed his lips as he thought about Shera. He never really openly expressed his appreciation for everything she did for him and how she coped with his attitude. Cid probably would have never thought about putting a concerted effort into showing that appreciation if it weren't for Tifa.

It wasn't Tifa's words or the kick in the shins that she gave him, but mainly her tears and pain she felt after losing Cloud. No one was blind to her love for the warrior. They knew how much it hurt her to see him die, but Cid knew that it hurt her even more to watch him slip away without ever getting a chance to tell him how she truly felt. Those tears were the ones that moved Cid the most.

He tried to imagine what it would be like to lose Shera without ever letting her know how much he actually cared. Taking another puff of his cigarette, Cid reached for his PHS and dialed the number to his first mate on the Highwind.

"Johnson, what's your status? What?!? The ShinRa Army already got a bunch of supplies for Midgar? Well, I guess they're probably in more need than Kalm right now. You guys still tired or are you all willing to make another trip? Burns is ready to fly? Good. Go to Rocket Town and get the supplies there. Also pick-up Shera and bring her over. Don't forget to call her in advance. I don't want her taking her damn sweet time getting ready. What? I ain't gonna fucking call her. I'm the Captain and I give the orders so you'd better call her or I'm gonna have your ass for dinner when you get back. Good, make sure Burns doesn't crash or you'll wish you were never born."

Cid smiled to himself as he hung-up the receiver. He knew that Shera was going to come regardless of whether or not he called or if his first mate called. He knew that they were going to need her engineering skills to help dig the entrance out. He also simply wanted her company. Elmyra and Tifa's cooking had been exceptional, but there was something about the homely style and simplicity that Shera added to hers. It wasn't fancy and it wasn't the best food in the world, but to Cid Highwind, it was enough.

Finishing off the cigarette, Cid dropped it on the ground and stepped on it with his boot, mashing it into the hard cobblestone sidewalk. He looked towards Midgar and watched the small firelights moving back and forth. Some of the residents of Kalm had taken it upon themselves to start digging out any survivors they could find. Cid had seen them walking out earlier when they were collecting wood for Cloud's funeral pyre.

He knew that they didn't have a single hope of finding anyone alive in that wreckage. He was certain that the small group even knew that the chances of finding a survivor were slim at best. However, watching those dancing red lights in the distance gave Cid a hopeful feeling. At least he could take comfort to know that there were still people out there who cared.

* * *

"Well, we're here. Now what do we do, Reno?" Elena asked as she dismounted her chocobo, exhausted from riding all day and night.

"Simple, we get a hotel and wait."

"But, what about the assassin? Aren't you worried he's going to strike?"

"Oh, him? Don't worry. Black Adder and Rude go way back. If he's going to strike, Rude will let us know."

Elena stole a glance at the quiet Turk and raised her brow in curiosity.

"So, Rude. What makes you think he won't just kill his targets while they're sleeping? I mean, it's freaking three o'clock in the morning and no one's awake except for us lunatics."

"He always attacks in the daylight. Gives him a challenge. Plus, he likes his prey to struggle," Rude answered mechanically.

"Great, so I'm here in Costa Del Sol without a bathing suit, accompanied by a perverted slacker and a monotone bald-guy who tells me that the assassin we're looking for is apparently a sociopath. I really couldn't think of a better way to spend my time on one of the most romantic beaches in the world," Elena said bitterly.

"Oh, Elena, come one now. Everyone knows that you don't need a bathing suit to swim. They didn't invent skinny-dipping for a reason ya know," Reno winked.

Elena rolled her eyes at the lewd comment and the three Turks made their way to the closest hotel. Once they entered the hotel, the desk clerk immediately recognized Reno and Rude. 

"The usual suite?"

Reno merely nodded his head as he took the keys that were handed to him. They made their way to their room, which had a clear view of the town of Costa Del Sol. Elena immediately fell onto the bed in exhaustion as Rude checked the drawers to make sure the weapons that they stored there were still in place. Reno was rummaging through the closet and he pulled out a long light pink dress and tossed it to Elena.

"Here, you're going to need this tomorrow."

Elena inspected the dress and scrunched her nose in confusion. The dress looked like something her grandmother had worn when she was her age.

"Why do I need to wear a dress and of all things, **this** dress?"

"Because you're going to go undercover and that's the only dress we have. I want you to go to the house posing as the Art Director for Junon's Art Museum and protect the targets while Rude and I handle Black Adder."

"I can fight too, why do I have to be the one babysitting?" Elena stood up in rage.

"You don't know Black Adder, he's deadly and crazy enough to kill anything in his way," Reno replied seriously.

"But I'm also a Turk, I didn't accept this job without knowing that I would have to face people like that," Elena screamed.

"You're also our back-up, in case we fail."

Elena froze-up at Reno's last words. She didn't want to think of what would happen if Reno and Rude were to fail. She knew that Reno trusted her to be the last line of protection. She bit her lip in frustration and concern as she sat back down on the bed and grabbed the pink dress.

"I understand. I'll do it," she said softly.

Reno nodded his head in satisfaction and began to make his way to Rude to plan out their mission tomorrow.

"Reno?" Elena said sternly.

Reno turned his head in Elena's direction and looked at her straight in the eye.

"You and Rude will not fail in killing that assassin, cause if you do, I'm never going to speak to you ever again."

The red-haired Turk flashed a wide smile in Elena's direction as he tapped the end of his nightstick on his leg.

"Don't you worry Elena, we're going to kill him. Now get some rest cause tomorrow's gonna be a big day for us."

_____


	11. Waking Hour of Hope

Note:    I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 11:    Waking Hour of Hope**

            The sun was rising over Midgar, illuminating the vast bundle of twisted metal.  A small group of men were waking up along the edge of the city with their shovels and tools.  They were ready to help clear out any rubble in their way to find any survivors in the massive heap of metal that was Midgar.  Last night they had only cleared a tiny part of the large city.  Logistically, it would take months of constant work for such a small crew to even sort through a quarter of the city.  But these men have never been daunted by logistics and ran on the faith that they could save at least one life.

            Underneath the city, many people were still asleep, unaware of the time of day because of the constant darkness.  Soldiers were quietly patrolling the area and the mess hall was starting its preparations for breakfast.  The citizens of Midgar were shrouded in the dark depths of uncertainty, praying that they would eventually be able to see the sunlight.  Their hope for success lay in the hands of three aides who slept peacefully on the floor of the new president of ShinRa's temporary office.

            Reeve's eyes fluttered open as he rubbed them and sluggishly stood up.  His neck was sore from sleeping on the table and his body yearned for a nice hot shower.  He blinked a few times trying to let his eyes adjust to the poorly lit room.  Reeve noticed three people sleeping on the floor in the room and smiled as he recognized the forms of Thomas, Chris and Eric.

            He ran his fingers through his hair while looking down at the table to see if his PHS had any battery life in it.  To his surprise, he found a white phone with a built-in intercom sitting next to his PHS and the blueprints of Old Midgar scattered about along with various notes.  He tilted his head this way and that so he could decipher all the various notes that were written to the side of the blueprint.

            Reeve's eyes widened and the corners of his lips broadened as he read the notes written on the upper left corner of the blueprint.  Quickly grabbing the large paper, he held it up to his face to make sure what he was reading was correct.  Frantic, Reeve ran to the newly acquired white phone, nearly knocking it over as the receiver fell off with a sharp ring.  The loud noise woke the three interns who bolted upright.  

            Chris banged his head on the bottom of the table while Eric and Thomas scrambled to their feet.

            "Shit," Chris spat as he rubbed his forehead and slowly got up.

            "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you all, but now that you're awake, maybe you can confirm what I'm reading here," Reeve said in one breath.  

            "Huh?  Wha--" Eric yawned.

            "Oh, Reeve!  You're awake!  There's something important we want to show you," Thomas said as he scrambled to his feet.

            "Is it this right here?" Reeve asked excitedly as he pointed to the blueprint.

            "Yes, it is.  We think we've finally figured out how to get everyone out of Old Midgar.  It'll take a few days of work, but I think it's the best solution we have," Thomas said as he stood next to Reeve pointing to the area of interest.

            "Yeah, we compared these blueprints with the ones of Kalm's mines and figured that it would be easier to dig ourselves out," Chris added.

            "And while you were asleep, we installed a working phone in your office.  It might not be much, but at least we're heading in the right direction," Eric added while putting on his glasses.

            Reeve flipped between the two blueprints and his wide smile only broadened more as he realized that the three interns had found their exit.  He knew that a hole had to be dug in the Kalm Mines, but that was something he was sure Barret and Cid could handle.  Reeve nodded his head in approval and reached for the phone, anxious to let his fellow AVALANCHE members know of their plan.

            The excited President quickly punched a few numbers and then pushed the button to activate the speaker.  He wanted his interns to hear the praise he was about to give them.

            _"Hello?"_

            "Tifa, it's Reeve."

            _"Reeve!__  How are things holding up on your end?"_

"They're fine, but they're going to get much better.  Are Cid and Barret awake yet?"

            _"Barret is, let me get him for you."_

There was a slight pause as the four men listened to Tifa call for Barret.  They could hear the rustle over the intercom as the phone was handed to the man and the gruff voice of Barret Wallace echoed over the intercom.

            _"Barret here.__  What you want?"_

"Barret, it's Reeve.  I have good news."

            _"Yeah?"_

            "Yes, my brilliant aides have found a way to get everyone out of Old Midgar," Reeve said winking at his three aides who were flushed with embarrassment at his compliment.

            _"You don't need mah manpower to dig ya out no more?"_

            "No, no.  We'll still need your manpower, but you're going to have to dig us out from the Kalm Mines.  Do you think you can do that?"

            _"Mines?__  Why you want me to dig in da mines?"_

"My interns have found a place in Old Midgar that is very close to one of the walls along the Kalm Mines.  The wall separating the two is only a few meters wide.  Now I don't know much about mining, but do you think you can knock out those few meters for us?"

            _"A few meters.  Hell, that's child's play.  Me n' Cid will find a crew an' get ta work."_

            "Good!  I'm going to send one of my aides over to give you the blueprints so you know where to dig.  Where should he meet you?"

            _"Elmyra's house."___

"Ok, that sounds good.  I'll send one of them over there and I'll give them your PHS number.  He should be there by nightfall if all goes well.  Can I speak to Tifa again?"

            _"Sure, she's right here."_

            "Tifa?"

            _"Yes, it's me.  I heard everything."_

"Good.  I feel like things are finally looking up.  But I wanted to ask how you were planning on handling Chaos, do you need me to send any reinforcements to assist you?"

            _"Unless you have a way of tracking Chaos, I don't think there is much you can do to help.  I don't think a whole brigade would be able to sneak up on him.  But don't worry because Yuffie, John and I will go out and search for Chaos.  You can probably alert all your troops about him and see if you can capture him, if at all possible.  We're still not sure if Vincent can return to his human form.  Oh, before I forget, John wanted to ask that you stop all the mako-reactors as soon as possible."_

            "I was going to address that once Midgar's citizens were safe.  I'll need to find an alternative energy supply.  But Tifa, the guy you mentioned, John, would his last name happen to be ShinRa?" Reeve asked curiously.

            _"No, it's Woolfe.  I've never heard of a John ShinRa.  Who's he?"_

            "Well, it's kind of complicated.  But just know that he's important to us and we need to find him alive.  If you find him, please let me know."

            "Um, President Anderson?" Thomas nervously asked.

            "Yes?"

            "Well, about John ShinRa.  Last night we all heard an announcement over the radio from some other organization asking for the death of John ShinRa."

            "What?!?" Reeve shouted.

            "Yeah, apparently an organization called the ShinRa-King Organization is offering a one million dollar reward for his death.  Chris already called the new head of the ShinRa Bank requesting that they not issue any money to them, but we have no leads or any idea where these people came from and the Turks aren't here to help us investigate," Eric added.

            "Damnit!  I thought I was going to start this day off on a good note too," Reeve said as he slumped down in his chair.

            _"Reeve, did you just curse?"_

            "Tifa?  You heard all that?" Reeve stammered.

            _"Yes.  But don't worry.  If we see anyone from the ShinRa-King Organization, we'll take care of them.  We'll also be on the lookout for John ShinRa.  Does he look anything like Rufus ShinRa?"_

            "Yeah.  He should look exactly like Rufus.  In fact, Tifa, he might be Rufus ShinRa."

            _"But I thought he was killed!" _Tifa barely whispered.

            "I thought so too, but the body we recovered wasn't Rufus's.  It was his body-double's."

            _"So, he might still be alive out there?"_

"Yes, but we don't want too many people to know.  It would cause pandemonium if word were to get out.  Tell as few people as necessary, in fact, make sure you don't tell Yuffie or Barret.  I know they have good intentions, but I'm afraid that their loud mouths might get carried away."

            _"I understand."_

            Reeve could hear Tifa's voice hide her shock and anger.  He knew that everyone thought Rufus ShinRa was dead along with the rest of ShinRa, Inc.  Reeve wasn't sure if she held a personal grudge against the young President, but it wouldn't surprise him if she did.  ShinRa had displaced many families and hurt many innocent victims that there was hardly anyone that Reeve knew who hadn't been affected by the company's ambitions.

            "Tifa, I know it will be hard, but please make sure that if you do find him he stays alive.  There are a lot of things that only he can do to straighten up the mess we're in now.  I just want you to trust me on this."

            _"I will.  Don't worry.  You have my word that I will protect him and bring him to you safely.  I may not like it, but I'll do it."_

            "Thank you Tifa.  That does make my day a bit better."

            _"Well, want me to tell you something that will make it even better?"_

            "What's that?" Reeve asked curiously at what news Tifa might have that would relieve his stress.

            _"Marlene drew a picture of you dressed as Cait Sith.  It's actually really cute.  You'll need to see it."_

            Reeve's lips curled up in a smile as he thought of the vivacious five-year old holding up the picture.  He could actually imagine the picture as the crude lines done with crayon vividly reflected Cait Sith's personality.  He needed to recreate the lovable robot.  He also needed to see his daughter Sara again.  He promised to see her soon and he didn't want to break that promise.

            "Thanks Tifa.  That really did help brighten up my day."

            _"I'm glad.  Just try not to get too stressed.  We're all behind you one-hundred percent."_

            "That's good to hear.  But be careful out there and if you do decide to take-up my offer of having reinforcements, don't hesitate to call."

            _"I will.  Take care of yourself Reeve."_

            "Same to you Tifa," Reeve said compassionately before pushing the button to end the call.

            Reeve sighed heavily as he refocused his attention to the three aides.  

            "So who wants to get some fresh air?"

            The three men all looked at each other uncertain of what to say.  Eric shook his head while Chris looked down at his feet.  Thomas looked from Eric to Chris and then sighed, as he knew that he was the only one who could read both blueprints.

            "I'll do it President Anderson," Thomas said as he turned to face Reeve.            

            "Good.  I'll brief you in a bit on where to go and make sure that you have an escort in case there are still monsters roaming the fields of Kalm."

            "Mo-monsters, sir?"

            "Yeah, monsters."

            Thomas swallowed the hard lump in his throat and wished he had never woken up today.  Chris put a comforting hand on his back and kept his eyes on his shoes.

            "President Anderson?  I have one piece of news that I think you'll be interested in," Eric said to break the uncomfortable air.

            "Yes, what is it?"

            "I finally heard from the fifth infantry division.  They made it to Junon and are getting supplies as we speak."

            "That's a relief," Reeve said with a smile.

            "Also, speaking of Junon, I suggest that after we've gotten everyone out of Midgar that we relocate you there," Chris finally looked up.  "I've already spoken to the new head of the ShinRa Bank and they're willing to cooperate with us to the best of their abilities."

            "I'll take that into consideration.  Go ahead and make whatever arrangements that need to be made and we'll act on it after the Midgar crisis is over."

            Chris nodded and he and Eric began to exit the room to resume their day's work.  

            "Oh, Chris, Eric?" Reeve interrupted.

            The two men turned their heads to face Reeve as they waited for what he was about to say.

            "Good job, all of you.  I really couldn't do this without your help," Reeve smiled as he consciously made eye contact with the three aides.

            Thomas, Chris and Eric all looked at each other and smiled, as they knew that all their hard work was slowly paying off.  There was still going to be much more work that needed to get done, but at least they knew that what they did was not in vain.

* * *

            Tifa slowly started to wake-up the members of AVALANCHE who were still asleep.  Cid was mumbling something about Shera making him some tea and Tifa giggled before nudging the pilot's side.  

            "Shera, you got me the tea?" Cid said as he sat up in the chair he slept on.

            "No, I didn't, but Elmyra fixed you some."

            "Huh!  Wha--.  Shit Tifa!  Don't scare me like that!  You'll send me to my grave by a fucking heart-attack," Cid nearly jumped out of the chair as he finally opened his eyes and noticed his surroundings.

            "So what was that about Shera?" Tifa asked with peaked interest.

            "None of your god-damned business that's what," Cid cursed while fumbling for a cigarette.  

            "That's ok.  But did you ever give her a call like I ask you to?"

            "Um . . . well, yeah.   Sort of," Cid mumbled.

            "And what did she say?" 

            "Quiet down woman!  Can't you let a man smoke his morning smoke before you bombard him with a hundred questions?"

            "I'll let you go this time Cid Highwind, but I expect to hear a full report later, ok?" Tifa said in a motherly voice.  

            "Yeah, yeah, just hold your horses," Cid grumbled before stepping outside.

            Tifa sighed as she watched through the window of Elmyra's house.  There the pilot was leisurely lighting a cigarette and watching the morning crowds of Kalm's citizens.  She knew that he probably would never change, but she hoped that she could get him to finally admit his feelings to Shera even if it was the last thing she did.  

            Tifa's eyes traveled down to see Yuffie sitting up against the wall under the window with a blanket draped over her shoulders.  Marlene had her head resting comfortably in the ninja's lap, as the pair appeared to be the perfection of innocence and tranquility.  Tifa knew much better than to associate Yuffie Kisaragi with tranquility, especially when the girl was wide-awake.  

            The fighter didn't want to wake Marlene or Yuffie up so early so decided to find the next member that needed to be woken up.  Barret was already awake and helping Elmyra cook breakfast, which was an odd chore to witness as the large burly man helped pour perfect circles of batter onto the grill for pancakes.  Tifa laughed to herself as she turned to the fireplace where Nanaki was starting to stretch his back and arms.

            "Morning Nanaki!"

            "Good morning Tifa.  I hope you slept well," Nanaki said as he walked over to Tifa.

            "Yes, I did thank you.  I just got a call from Reeve and they finally have a way to dig people out of Midgar.  I'll let everyone know the plans over breakfast," Tifa said while she scratched his favorite spot behind the ears.

            "That is good to know.  I'm glad that we'll be able to do something for them.  Have we heard from the Highwind yet?"

            "No, I didn't get a chance to ask Cid about that, but I'm sure we'll hear from them soon," Tifa said as she pointed out to the window where they could see Cid smoking and talking on his PHS.

            "I'm sure that his men will get here in time.  I wish we could do more for the people out there."

            "I know what you mean Nanaki," Tifa said as she finished scratching his ear.

            Tifa watched Nanaki walk outside to join Cid and smiled as the pilot reached down to scratch the same spot on Nanaki she had just touched earlier.  She turned her attention back to the floor where the newest member of AVALANCHE slept peacefully.  The man she knew as John Woolfe was resting on his side with a small blanket covering his tall body.  

            Tifa was about to wake John up when she remembered what Reeve asked her.  Her eyes scanned his sleeping face and watched as he breathed easily with his head turned towards her.  He looked so peaceful and serene.  He was also quite handsome; something Tifa had never noticed before until now.  None of those traits were things she equated with Rufus ShinRa.  The sleeping man looked nothing like the one who interrogated her when she was about to be executed in Junon.  She didn't think that it was possible that John could be the man Reeve was looking for, but she still had to be cautious on the off-chance she was wrong.

            Tifa knelt down and then gently nudged him on the side.  She watched him as he started to stir.

            "John, it's time to get up," Tifa said softly.

            Tifa watched him as he started to rub his eyes and then open them with a confused look on his face.

            "Huh?  Where?" Rufus said as he tried to focus his eyes on the woman who woke him up.

            "It's morning.  Breakfast is almost ready and you need to get-up," Tifa said still kneeling down beside him.

            "Oh, Tifa!  Morning!  Did I sleep in late?" Rufus said as he sat-up, finally remembering where he was.

            "No, you didn't I still need to wake Yuffie and Marlene up so don't worry.  But go ahead and get a shower and some breakfast, we're going to start out to find Chaos as soon as I've told everyone what Reeve told me."

            "Sounds like we have a big day ahead of us," Rufus said thoughtfully.  "I'll get ready as soon as I can."

            "Don't treat my request as an order.  I'm sure you can tell our group isn't a military faction.  Just consider it a request from a friend," Tifa said with a smile.

            Rufus stared at Tifa blankly uncertain of what to say.  He never thought that he would ever join a terrorist organization and that they would be calling him their friend.  Of course, there were many things that he didn't think would happen such as Meteor falling down or his half-brother trying to betray him.  He also still had to worry about the ShinRa-King Organization, which was out to claim his life.  If there was anyone that he knew he could trust right now it was AVALANCHE; ironically, they were the last people he would have wanted to meet a few days ago.  

            "Ok, sorry about that Tifa.  I'll try to be less formal."

            Tifa shook her head playfully as she watched him stand-up.  His stiff attitude and speech almost reminded her of how Cloud acted when she found him at the train yard.  Thinking about her lost friend erased the smiled that was on her face as her eyes absent-mindedly followed John as he greeted Elmyra and headed for the stairs to the bathroom.  The way that John spoke was exactly the way Cloud did after he left SOLIDER.  

            Tifa didn't have any proof yet, but she was certain that John used to work for ShinRa's Army.  She guessed that he probably was never exposed to mako like Cloud or Vincent since his eyes didn't have that eerie glow.  John was definitely one of the lucky ones.  Tifa knew how mako had almost completely destroyed Cloud.  She still wasn't certain what killed him, but she suspected that mako had something to do with it.

            It still bothered Tifa that she didn't know the reason behind Cloud's death or Vincent's transformation.  She knew that it had something to do with Jenova since they were both infected with her cells, but Nanaki hadn't had any strange symptoms and she knew that her friend had also been infected with the cells.  There were so many questions she needed to have answered.  Unfortunately, the Midgar and Chaos crisis needed to be dealt with first and all her questions would have to remain unanswered for the time being.

            "Tifa, Tifa!" the excited voice of Yuffie echoed through the room waking Tifa from her reveries.

            "Um, yes Yuffie?"

            Tifa walked over to the young ninja who was still lying underneath the window with Marlene tucked snuggly in her arms.

            "You'll never guess who I overheard talking on the phone about Shera?" Yuffie said slyly.

            Tifa looked up at the window and giggled as she heard the faint noises of Cid and Nanaki talking.  

            "He did?" Tifa said as she pointed to the back of the pilot.

            "Uh-huh!  Heard it with my own ears," Yuffie said proudly.

            "And all this time I thought you were still asleep.  But what did he say?"

            "Nothing juicy, he just asked those two guys in the Highwind about her and if she was safe.  Nothing I can use against him to blackmail for some materia," Yuffie sighed.  

            "Yuffie!"

            "I was just joking.  Besides, I don't need to blackmail him to get all the good stuff," the ninja grinned mischievously.  

            "Well, before you go off stealing Cid's materia, I suggest you get up and get ready for the day.  I heard from Reeve and I was going to brief everyone over breakfast."

            "I'll be ready lickidy-split!" the teenager said quickly.

            Tifa picked Marlene up from Yuffie's lap and carried the child over to Barret and Elmyra.  The movement woke the child and Marlene yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

            "Papa, I want some pancakes," the girl said groggily.

            "Daddy's making some for ya right now sweetie," Barret said as he flipped a few pancakes onto a plate.

            The breakfast preparations were coming to a close as Tifa, Barret and Elmyra helped set the table for everyone in the house.  The smell of freshly cooked bacon and pancakes filled the house drawing everyone to the table.  Cid and Nanaki even smelled the delicious breakfast from outside and came in without having to be called.  Everyone sat down and helped themselves to the scrumptious meal.

            Tifa stood up after noticing that everyone had a hearty helping of food and were almost finished eating.  She repeated the news that she heard through Reeve about digging out Midgar's citizens through the Kalm mines and his plan to send one of his aides to help.  Tifa could see the excitement in everyone's eyes as they listened to the good news.  She continued her speech but made sure to leave out the information about Rufus ShinRa.

            "I want Barret's team to go out and recruit some miners from Kalm until Reeve's aide arrives at Elmyra's house.  My team will start gathering equipment and leave to go and search for Chaos after we know that the Highwind has landed."

            "Tifa, when do you plan on coming back after searching for Chaos?" Elmyra asked.

            "I don't know.  I guess until we find him.  But this may be our last meal together for a while.  Well, at least we have our PHS so we can communicate whenever we want, right?" Tifa said cheerfully.

            Everyone nodded at her comment and tried not to think about the dangers of searching for Chaos.  No one at the table wanted to think about losing another member of AVALANCHE, not with Cloud's death and Vincent's transformation so fresh in their memories.  They wanted this day to be hopeful and retain the confidence that their missions would successfully.

            Tifa smiled content that she had said everything she needed to say to the group.  Everyone started to get up and walk around after the meal.  Tifa rose from her seat and walked over to Nanaki who walking towards the fireplace.

            "Nanaki, I need to speak to you in private about something important." 

            "Go ahead Tifa."

            Nanaki's ears perked up as Tifa began whispering to him the very words that were spoken to her earlier.  She could feel his muscles tense as the thought of Rufus ShinRa being alive shocked him.  The threat of a new unknown organization also didn't help his nerves.

            "Are you certain of this?" Nanaki asked.

            "It came from Reeve himself and I know he wouldn't be mistaken."

            "Then we must be on our highest guard.  I'll let you know if I ever see him and will also abide by Reeve's wishes."

            "Thanks Nanaki."

            "Oh, Tifa?  Please be careful.  I don't know if John capable of protecting you and Yuffie, . . . well I think you actually need to keep an eye on her.  So be careful."

            "Nanaki, don't worry.  I can take care of myself," Tifa smiled.  "But there is one thing I'd like to ask you."

            "What's on your mind?"

            "What do you think killed Cloud and caused Vincent to transform?"

            "I'm really not certain.  I'm sure you've already thought that the Jenova cells may have played a role."

            Tifa nodded.  "I did, but I wasn't sure.  I know you were injected with those same cells, but you're not having any problems."

            "Yes, indeed.  I also thought about that and was afraid that something horrible would eventually happen to me.  Though after thinking about it, I was probably the lucky one because I'm not a human.  I don't think the Jenova cells had as much influence in my body as it did Cloud's and Vincent's."

            "I see.  It helps make it a bit clearer what might have happened.  I'm not completely satisfied and want to know more, but thanks for clearing one thing up," Tifa said dejectedly.

            "Don't worry, Tifa.  I'm sure you will find your answer soon.  After this ordeal is over, I'll make sure to devote my time to finding it if you don't find it yourself," Nanaki said as he nuzzled his nose against her legs.

            "Thanks.  You truly are a great friend," Tifa said as she stroked his mane.

* * *

            "What's our ETA until Kalm?"

            "Not more than ten minutes," Johnson said with a yawn.

            "I can't believe the Captain made us fly all night.  I hope he doesn't send us on another mission without getting some sleep."

            "I know what you mean Burns, everyone is asleep except us.  But what did the Captain say when he called earlier?"

            "Nothing much, just asked if we got the supplies and picked-up Shera."

            "Did you say that the Captain called earlier?" a woman's voice echoed behind the two men.

            "Uh, yes he did Shera.  Sorry we had to bring you over here on such short notice," Burns said groggily.

            "Oh no, I don't mind.  I was hoping to see him so I could show him some plans that I drew up.  But what did the Captain say earlier?" 

            "He just asked when we were getting to Kalm and if we got everything ok," Burns answered.

            "Oh, that's it?" Shera asked disappointed.

            "Yeah, and he also said that he wanted to talk to you after we landed," Burns added after sensing her disappointment.

            "Ah, I see.  Well, I better get my things ready since we're going to land soon.  Thanks," Shera said with a slight flush as she left the deck.

            "Did he really say that?" Johnson whispered over to Burns.

            "Um, not really, but he did ask about her and how she was doing."

            "What?!?  You know how the Captain doesn't like to show his feelings."

            "Yeah, I know he doesn't.  It surprised me as well.  Maybe he's having a change of heart?" Burns said with a grin.

            "Maybe," Johnson smiled.

            The two pilots gazed out the window of the Highwind to see a crowd of people gathering around to watch the airship land.  They had all been waiting in anticipation for the rations AVALANCHE promised last night.  Many people in the crowd didn't think that the airship would return in the morning, but the loud whir of the Highwind's fans was a rude awakening they were grateful to receive.

            "It looks like we made it just in time, right Burns?"

            "Yeah.  I can't believe the number of people who need help.  It was amazing that we were able to get as many supplies as we did in Rocket Town.  I just hope it's enough."

            "Even if it's not, it at least gives them some hope.  And besides, we could always fly out to Wutai or Cosmo Canyon for some more," Johnson chuckled.

            "I don't know about you, but even the Captain couldn't order me to fly out again today.  I'm not even going to think about flying until I've gotten some sleep."

            "We'll just have to take that up with the Captain.  But you have to admit, it really feels good knowing that we're helping out."

            "Yeah, makes you feel like a hero or something.  I can hear it now:  Johnson and Burns, pilots of the great Highwind, bringer of all the food!" Burns said energetically.

            "And the reasons for children's smiles and mother's joyful tears.  You're right Burns, it does make you feel like a hero," Johnson said as he landed the Highwind to the cheers and applause of the people who almost lost all hope.

_____

A/N:     Someone asked me how long I thought this fic was going to be.  I honestly couldn't give them an answer because I'm not even close to finishing this story with all the ideas I have floating around.  But thanks to all my readers who have held the patience to stick with this story so far!  I'll try to get the next chapter out in two weeks or so.


	12. A Snake in the Shadows

Note:  I do not own Final Fantasy VII. Chapter 12:    A Snake in the Shadows 

            It was eight-thirty in the morning Costa Del Sol time and little activity could be seen in the resort town.  The early-morning surfers were already finishing their run with the waves as a few joggers ran along the beach.  A blond-haired woman with sunglasses and a pink dress could be seen walking professionally along the sidewalk towards the residential district.

            These things could all be seen by a man hiding in the alley behind the local seafood restaurant.  He had been perched along the walls of the dank alley for over thirty hours after he had accepted his latest assignment.  It was one of those jobs that most assassins with any shred of morality left would adamantly refuse.  Those were the jobs that he loved the most.

            The man smiled as he lit a cigarette with his gloved hands and watched the door of his targets.  The lady with the pink dress he had spotted earlier had stopped at the door and adjusted her dress and the papers in her hand before ringing the doorbell.  He scrunched his face in disgust as he thought about the time delay she presented to him.  He wanted to start the hit in a few minutes when his targets were about to sit down for some breakfast.  

            The frown soon turned into a smirk as he thought of the ways he could eliminate the woman with the pink dress along with his other targets.  He always enjoyed adding an extra body to his kill count.  It was those unexpected added hits that made his job more interesting.  

            He watched the woman with keen interest through his gray eyes.  A woman with short brown hair had answered the door to greet the woman in the pink dress.  The man's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of one of his assigned targets.  His fingers were itching with anticipation as his right hand shook with excitement causing the rifle he was holding to rattle against the concrete wall.

            His excitement subsided as his target allowed the woman in the pink dress inside her home and shut the door.  He could still see the two women talking through the window that was adjacent to the door.  He saw his first target reach down to pick-up a child and rest her on the woman's hips as she escorted her unexpected guest inside the house.  The man smiled as he blew smoke out of his nostrils and mouth.  He had confirmed both of his targets and even acquired a new one for pure thrills.

            The man rolled up the sleeves on his left arm to check the time.  As he did so, his fingers traced the lining of a tattoo he had on his left forearm.  The long curvy black lines ran up and down his arm wrapping around it like the image it portrayed.  To an outsider, anyone looking at the tattoo would quickly recognize it at a snake.  

            The head was distinctly marked with its mouth open wide as if it was going to bite the watch that the assassin was staring at.  Its long neck and body slithered around the man's arm and stopped shy of his elbow.  Anyone who had any knowledge of the species could immediately recognize the serpent to be an adder with black scales.

            The man quickly rolled back his sleeve and checked to make sure he had his pistol and knife.  He was certain that he had all the equipment he needed for the job.  His eyes roamed to the left side of the house where he knew the bathroom window was unlocked.  He unconsciously rubbed his left forearm where his tattoo was and cautiously peered up and down the alley to make sure no one could see him walk out from behind the row of trashcans he had been hiding behind.  

            To his left he could still see a few morning joggers on the beach and to his right the only sounds he could hear were the faint meowing of a cat at the entrance to the alley.  There was no one around.  He walked out from behind the trashcans and proceeded towards the house he had been spying on earlier.  His black combat boots lightly treaded on the concrete making hardly any noise for anyone to hear.

            Only the sounds of the ocean and the cat hiding somewhere in the alley could be heard as the assassin inched his way towards the house.  A sudden shrill whistling noise was heard coming from the other end of the alley away from the man's targets.  The man tried to disregard the whistling noise until he heard the whistling accompanied by the sharp click of dress shoes on the concrete pavement.  Someone was walking into the alley and heading towards him.

            The whistling grew louder and louder as the unknown perpetrator's footsteps rhythmically echoed down the alley.  The assassin tried to act casual and leaned against the wall to pull out a cigarette until his ears recognized the tune that was being whistled.  He had never learned what the song was, but he only knew one person who whistled that tune and that was Reno of the Turks.

            The assassin dropped his cigarette and turned around behind him to see a pair of glowing blue eyes and Reno's signature red hair.  The Turk was twirling his nightstick as he continued to whistle the nameless tune.  Reno stopped whistling and stood staring coldly at the man in black clothing as he continued to twirl his nightstick.

            "Black Adder, long time no see," Reno seethed.

            "Reno," Black Adder hissed.

            "Out for the blood of women and children again I see."

            "I wouldn't talk so boldly.  I heard about what you did to Sector 7 in Midgar," Black Adder scoffed.

            Reno winced as he stopped twirling his nightstick.  Dropping the plate on Sector 7 was not one of his most shining moments as a Turk, but it was a part of his job.  Now his job called for stopping Black Adder using whatever force necessary.

            "Don't worry, I won't be the one doing all the work today.  I'm sure you remember that I'm not the one with a grudge against you," Reno smirked.

            Black Adder opened his mouth to say something when he realized that Reno was referring to Rude.  He quickly turned around and reached for his gun, but a quick hand already had his wrist in a painful grip.  Black Adder looked up only to see the shine of brass knuckles before his face felt the sharp sting of Rude's fist.

            The assassin could feel his blood pour of his mouth where a few teeth had been knocked out.  He shouldn't have been so careless when he was talking to Reno.  Rude had unexpectedly gotten behind him.  Black Adder opened his eyes to see the towering figure of Rude as he cracked his knuckles.

            "Get up," Rude said flatly.

            Black Adder spat some blood out as he tried to reach for his gun again, but couldn't find it in his vest where he had put it.

            "Looking for this?" Rude said as he pointed to the revolver that was stuck underneath his foot.

            Black Adder staggered to his feet, cursing himself for leaving his rifle behind the trashcans.  He didn't think the Turks would interfere with his job.  He should have been more careful.

            "And what do I owe the honor of this visit?" Black Adder spat.

            He hoped that Reno and Rude wouldn't notice him reaching behind his back for the knife.  He knew he didn't have a chance to kill both men, but taking at least one of the Turks with him would let him die satisfied.

            "What?  Rude and I can't check up on an old friend who nearly got us killed?  Sure, I mean it's not like Rude has forgotten how you murdered his old partner and tried to get him," Reno said sarcastically.

            "What I did was no different than what you do for a living," Black Adder smirked.

            "Don't fucking compare us to you!" Rude snapped as he kicked Black Adder in the gut.

            The assassin keeled over and clutched his stomach in pain.  He almost had reached for his knife but the sudden kick from Rude threw him off balance.  Black Adder's eyes widened in fear as he looked up to see Rude taking off his sunglasses.  No one had ever seen the Turk take his sunglasses off while he was working and lived to tell the tale.  The Turk's glowing obsidian eyes glared at the fallen man as he bent down to grab Black Adder's face.

            "Yes, we do kill women and children, but unlike you, we don't enjoy it," Rude spat as he roughly held Black Adder's face.

            "What's the difference, we're all murderers.  Hell's the last place we're going to," Black Adder gasped as he frantically reached for his knife.

            "Yeah, but you're going there first," Rude said as he pulled back his fist.

            The Turk was about to make contact with Black Adder's face when the assassin pulled the knife out of his clothes and stabbed Rude in the arm.  Reno saw his partner get hurt and almost pulled his gun out to kill Black Adder, but knew that Rude wanted to finish the man himself.  

            "Come on, show me what you got!  I'll cut you again," Black Adder said frantically as he waved the knife in front of him.

            The assassin was slowly walking backwards away from the two Turks towards the trashcans where his rifle was.  He hoped he could keep them at bay long enough for him to get to his rifle and then kill them both.  He saw Reno with his hand itching for the gun in his jacket while taping his nightstick against his leg.  Rude was taking his jacket off and ripping a piece of his dress shirt to tie around his injured arm.  

            Black Adder knew that Rude would recover quickly and bolted for the trashcans, diving down into the corner where his rifle was kept.  He could hear Reno cursing as the sounds of the Turk's footsteps echoed louder and louder.  Black Adder scrambled and grabbed his rifle, putting his finger on the trigger before turning to fire.

            The rifle was pointed straight at Rude as Black Adder smirked and squeezed his finger.  The smirk was replaced with a frown as no bullets fired out of the rifle.  The assassin looked down and found that the clip he had attached to the rifle had been removed.  Before Black Adder had time to think, Rude pulled out a pistol and fired two bullets.  It was the last thing the assassin saw and ever would see.

            Rude stared at the dead body lying behind the trashcans.  Smoke slowly rose from the silencer attached to his revolver.  Reno ran over to inspect the damage and whistled proudly as he looked down at the bullet holes in Black Adder's head.  The Turk grabbed a white cloth and draped it over the dead man's head.  

            "That's some pretty good shooting considering you used your left hand," Reno said as he grabbed some gloves from his pocket and put them on.

            Rude silently nodded his head as he put the gun back in its holster and searched in his pockets for his materia.  As he reached in his pocket and found the small polished marble, a green glow was already surrounding his right arm and Rude looked up to see Reno holding up his own cure materia.  

            "I could have done this myself," Rude replied as he began fishing for a pair of gloves.

            "Yeah, but you killed the guy and even got injured in the process while all I did was stand off to the side as back-up."

            Rude didn't answer as he helped Reno lift the body up and throw it in the dumpster near the trashcans.  

            Reno threw all of Black Adder's weapons into the dumpster, but he made sure to keep Black Adder's personal computer and notes off to the side so they could see if the assassin left any information about the ShinRa-King Organization.  Satisfied that all of the assassin's belongings were either in the dumpster or by his feet, Reno helped Rude throw any extra trash into the dumpster to help cover up the body. 

            "So why did you shoot him anyway?  I thought you had a grudge against this guy and were going to punch your fist through his chest and rip his heart out," Reno asked as he tossed his gloves into the dumpster.

            "He wasn't worth the time or the effort," Rude simply stated.

            Reno laughed as he pat Rude on the back.  

            "At least you got your revenge for Derek."

            "Yeah," Rude nodded.  "He was a good kid.  Should have never become a Turk."

            "But he was the best damned sniper since Vincent Valentine.  Come on Rude; let's get to Elena before she talks the head off of Reeve's wife.  And next time we go drinking, I'm paying.  You deserve a few beers for today's stunt."

            "You better, I need to buy a new shirt," Rude said as he smiled a rare smile.

* * *

            Elena stared attentively at the painting as the brown-haired woman described its meaning and the medium used to paint it.  The woman's daughter was daintily decorating sugar cookies with sprinkles and icing on the coffee table.  Normally, Elena wouldn't have a problem keeping up a conversation due to her affinity to talk, but today she was worried about her co-workers.

            The Turk politely sipped her tea while listening to the woman describe her painting.  Elena's eyes would occasionally wander to the window or the door hoping that she would catch a glimpse of her comrades.

            "So, do you think the museum would be interested in displaying something more contemporary like this painting?" the woman asked suddenly.

            "Oh, I assure you Ms. Anderson that they would.  The Board of Directors wouldn't have sent me over here to your house if we weren't interested," Elena faked a smile as she tried to act professional.

            "Have they really noticed my work?"

            "Yes they have Ms. Anderson."

            "Oh, please.  Just call me Melissa," the woman beamed excitedly.  

            "Well, Melissa, I'm sure you know that the Junon Academy of Art is interested in displaying most of your works in their museum," Elena began speaking until the doorbell rang and interrupted her speech.

            "Oh, please excuse me Ms. DeWitt.  I'll just be a moment," Melissa said as she headed for the door.

            Elena quickly rose and followed her, worried that the person at the door could be Black Adder.

            "Oh, don't worry Melissa, let me help you get the door," Elena said trying to hide her nervousness.

            "You don't have to worry Ms. DeWitt.  You're a guest in my house so please sit back down," Melissa said while eyeing the door as the doorbell kept its constant ring.

            "I insist.  I love to answer doors.  It's some sort of obsessive-compulsive trait I have," Elena said as she walked ahead of Melissa and headed for the door.

            "Um, sure Ms. DeWitt," Melissa said raising her eyebrow at Elena's strange behavior.  "I'll wait right here."

            Elena scanned the door to see if there was a peephole, but couldn't find one and frantically tried to think of how to figure out who the person behind the door was without opening the door.

            "Who is it?" Elena said sweetly behind the door.

            "It's us Elena now open the door," Reno spat back.

            Elena breathed a sigh of relief as she opened the door to see Reno standing smugly as usual and Rude with his jacket zipped up unusually high.

            "Did you get him?"

            "Yeah, Rude took care of him.  But after looking through his personal belongings we found out that he's not going to be the last one creeping around here.  We need to get Reeve's wife and kid out of here and on a boat to Junon," Reno said as he and Rude walked into the house.

            "Um, Ms. DeWitt?  Are they . . . are they . . . Turks?" Melissa said with wide eyes.

            "I can explain everything Ms. Anderson, you see, they're . . . they're . . .," Elena struggled to find a reasonable explanation for Rude and Reno's appearance. 

            "We're Turks," Rude said abruptly.

            "Wha—what are Turks doing in my house?" Melissa asked Elena.

            "It's going to take some time to explain, but the long and short of it is that we're here to protect you," Elena replied with a heavy sigh.

            "Protect me?  Why?" Melissa asked as her eyes nervously scanned the trio.

            "Your husband has been made President of ShinRa, Inc. and some enemies to the company are trying to assassinate you and your daughter.  We're here to protect you both and relocate you to Junon where it'll be safer," Elena said trying to reassure the woman.

            "Di—did you just say that someone is trying to kill my daughter?" Melissa asked frantically.

            "Yes Ms. Anderson.  That's why it's imperative that you cooperate with us," Elena pleaded.

            "He . . . he never told me that Sara and I would be in danger.  He just said that he needed to help the people of Midgar," Melissa said shocked.

            "Well, technically he didn't know because he's stuck under Midgar trying to get everyone out.  We found out about the assassination plot against you and headed out to protect you without his authorization.  In other words, he wasn't told that your lives were in danger," Elena said thoughtfully.

            "He's under Midgar?!?  Is he okay, I mean . . . are there any assassins after him or anything?" Melissa asked frantically.

            "Elena, I wish you would just shut-up sometimes," Reno huffed as he walked over towards Reeve's wife.  "Ms. Anderson, I assure you that he is safe and sound.  Right now our main concern is to get you and your daughter to Junon where you can be protected, do you think you can do that for your husband?"

            Melissa merely nodded, as the worry for her husband wasn't abated by Reno's sincere words.  

            "Let me tell my daughter and then I'll pack my things," Melissa said softly.

            Reno nodded his head as he watched the woman walk over to her daughter.  He had heard that Reeve and his wife had separated, but judging from her reaction, Melissa Anderson still have feelings for the man she married.  Reno knew that his new boss would have become a broken man if his wife and daughter were killed.  The Turk had oftentimes seen Reeve pull out his daughter's picture from his wallet.  One thing that Reno also found interesting was how the man also kept a picture of his wedding photo tucked behind the picture of his daughter, but always tried to hide it.  Reeve didn't even try to hide the fact that he still wore his wedding band on his left hand.  

            "I don't want to be around when she and boss-man get reunited," Reno muttered.

            "Huh?  What did you say, Reno?" Elena asked.

            "Nothing.  But why don't you help Ms. Anderson with the packing while Rude secures the house.  I'm going to make some calls to get us our boat to Junon," Reno said with authority.

            "Reno, you amaze me sometimes.  Why can't you be so authoritative all the time?" Elena asked.

            "Because then you wouldn't love me for who I really am," Reno winked.

            "I should have never asked," Elena said rolling her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen where Melissa was talking to her daughter.

            Elena watched as Melissa helped her daughter pack all the cookies they had made into some Tupperware.  The bouncy little girl's innocent eyes revealed that she had no conception of the how she and her mother's lives were in danger.  Elena was certain that Melissa had no intention of telling Sara about it either.  The girl was probably only seven or eight years old, still too young to be tainted by the horrors of life.

            "Did you need any help getting your things together?" Elena asked Melissa.

            "Yes, could you take Sara to her room and help her get packed.  I need to take care of a few things down here and then get my stuff," the brown-haired woman replied nervously.

            Elena nodded as she bent down to pick the little girl up.

            "Are we going to Junon because you really liked Mommy's pictures?" the little girl asked with bright brown eyes.

            "Yes we are dear.  Now let's go up to your room so we can go on a nice trip to your new home, how does that sound?" Elena said sweetly.

            "Like fun.  Can I bring the toy Daddy made for me?"

            "Of course!" the Turk replied as she carried the child up to her room.

            Melissa Anderson watched as Elena carried her daughter upstairs to her room.  She snapped the Tupperware container shut and put the cookies into a picnic basket before heading up to her room to collect her things.  Her eyes wandered to the two Turks standing in her foyer as one talked on his phone and the one with sunglasses kept his eyes glued to the window.  

            Reeve had mentioned the Turks and what they did for ShinRa, but she never thought that she would ever meet one or even three of them in one day.  He had promised her before they separated that he wouldn't bring his work into her life again.  It annoyed her to no end to think that he still put his work over his family, but then he was the President of ShinRa, Inc. and that was a job that required much more responsibility than Melissa could comprehend.  The gravity of his position quickly eliminated all of the annoyance she had harbored for her husband and turned it into worry.

            Trying to get her mind off of that, she quickly pulled out a suitcase and began filling it with clothes and various personal belongings.  Opening one of her dresser drawers, her eyes fell upon a framed picture of her and Reeve when they were getting married.  He was smiling so brightly and lovingly at her as she had her arms wrapped around his neck.  Neither of them were staring at the camera because they were too preoccupied with each other, but they couldn't hide the love they shared from the camera lens.

            Melissa smiled as she let her fingers glide along the glass frame.  Unconsciously, she reached for her necklace and traced her fingers along the chain until she reached the wedding ring that hung along her neck.  She found herself grabbing her wedding ring more and more after she spoke with Reeve a few days ago.  She had been praying for his safety and cried with relief when she heard that Midgar was spared from Meteor's wraith.  

            She knew that he was alive, but a disconnected phone line to his old work number didn't help to reassure her.  Melissa wished that she had his new PHS number, but her own stubbornness had kept her from asking for it.  At least she knew that he was safe, but she wasn't sure for how long.

            Grabbing the wedding photo, she quickly stuffed it in her suitcase and scanned the room once more to make sure that there weren't any other keepsakes or necessities that she needed.  She left the room as Elena and her daughter were walking down the stairs followed by the little robot Reeve built for her daughter.

            "Reeve must really love Sara for letting her have the Cait Sith prototype," Elena said to Melissa as she watched the little girl tote her backpack and punch a few buttons on a remote to make the doll follow her.

            "Yeah.  He always dotes on her whenever he's home," Melissa smiled as she watched Sara play with her toy.  "Sara actually named the doll Kate Sith because she thought it should be a girl."

            "Well, I'm glad that Kate is only the size of a small dog unlike its counterpart.  That stupid robot of Reeve's pissed the hell out of me," Elena said as she readjusted the tote bag full of Sara's belongings.  "Did you get everything you needed?"

            "Yes, I just need to get the cookies in the kitchen and then we should be all set.  Sara honey, did Ms. DeWitt help you get all your stuff packed?"

            "Yes Mommy," Sara nodded obediently.

            "Oh, Melissa?" Elena asked.

            "Yes?"

            "You can just call me Elena," she said with a smile.

            "Ok . . . Elena," Melissa nodded.  

            "Alright, you ladies ready to get this show on the road?" Reno said boisterously.

            "All their belongings are packed and I take it Rude made sure to pack my suit somewhere so I don't have to wear this pink dress the whole time," Elena asked.

            "It's in the alley," Rude simply stated.

            "It better not be dirty," Elena said as they left the house.

            The three Turks tried to walk causally as they escorted Reeve's wife and daughter through the alley and towards the beach.  Rude had picked up the bag with Elena's clothes in it and slung it over his shoulder as the group made their way to the docks.

            They finally reached a commercial boat that was headed towards Junon.  Reno handed the man collecting boarding passes a business card and waited as the man read it through.  The man nodded at Reno and handed him two keys before motioning for them to board.

            "Elena, go ahead and get them to the cabins.  We're at cabin 806 and 805.  I need to speak to Rude really quick and then I'll catch up with you," Reno said as he handed Elena the cabin keys.

            "Got it!" Elena said as she escorted Melissa and Sara to their cabins.

            Reno waited until Elena was out of earshot before he turned his attention to Rude.

            "You think you two can handle it okay out there?"

            "We'll be fine.  Worried about you though," Rude said.

            "Hey, somebody's gotta report to the boss.  Besides, I have an idea who's behind the ShinRa-King Organization, but need to do a little research.  Make sure you get in touch with those geeks who are helping Reeve and call me if you get any more leads on Black Adder's computer," Reno added.

            "Affirmative," Rude said as he began to walk towards the cabins but paused after a few steps.  "What should I tell Elena?"

            "Tell her that I'll meet her in Junon later after everything's calmed down in Midgar.  Right now her mission is to protect the wife and kid."

            Rude nodded as he watched Reno give him a mock salute before walking back towards town.  He shook his head as he made his way towards the two cabins they occupied.  The door to cabin 806 was slightly ajar and Rude could hear the noises of Elena's laugh.  He knocked lightly on the door before entering and saw Reeve's daughter making her toy Kate Sith do a forward roll on the floor.

            "Isn't that so cute Rude?" Elena laughed.

            Rude only raised an eyebrow as he watched the toy roll forward again and again.

            "Do you have the key to 805?"

            "Yeah, here it is," Elena said as she tossed the key to him.  "Where's Reno?"

            "He's reporting back to Midgar."

            "He's what!?!  That little fucker!" Elena screamed.

            "Uh oh, she said a bad word Mommy," Sara giggled.

            "Sara, behave," Melissa said sternly.

            "He'll meet us in Junon.  Right now orders are to protect Reeve's wife and daughter," Rude said stoically.

            "But why the hell did he leave us?" Elena screamed as she grabbed Rude's right arm.

            Rude winced as he felt her strong grip dig into his wound.  The cure spell had helped heal most of the knife wound, but it was still tender.  Rude hoped that Elena didn't notice his pain, but he knew that she did.

            "Rude, did you get hurt when you went up against Black Adder?" Elena asked angrily.

            Rude merely nodded.

            "I can't believe you two!  Sara, when you grow-up never work with men.  They're so stubborn!" Elena seethed as she shook her head.

            "Yeah, I think boys are icky," Sara said as she scrunched her nose.  "Daddy's the only boy who I don't think is icky or has the cooties."

            "That's a smart girl," Elena said as she slowly calmed herself down.  

            Rude was about to leave the room when Elena called for him to wait.  Half-expecting her to yell at him again, he almost didn't catch the bottle that was thrown his way.  He looked at the potion with its iridescent green liquid and smirked as he looked up at Elena.

            "Go ahead and take care of yourself.  I swear if it weren't for me you and Reno would have fallen apart with all the injuries you guys get," Elena shook her head with a smile.

            "Thanks," Rude said as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

            Elena watched the door as she smiled to herself.  Rude was never one to admit he was injured and she should have known that Reno would do something like this.  She also knew that one of these days she was going to have to accept his methods.  However until then, she was still going to give him hell for leaving on his own.

            "Elena?  Is Reno going back to keep my husband safe?" Melissa asked softly so Sara couldn't hear.

            "I believe he is Melissa," Elena said reassuringly.

            "Good, I'm glad.  I worry about him.  I hope he'll be alright."

            "I assure you that once Reno gets to Midgar, he will be," Elena said confidently, realizing that Reno's solo mission to Midgar was necessary.  "Reno knows what he's doing, even if I don't."

            Melissa smiled as she accepted the woman's word.  "Thank you Elena.  It really means a lot what you all are doing for us."      

            "I'm glad we could be of service," Elena beamed.

_____

A/N:     Sorry this chapter took so long.  I was busy with work and unfortunately, I don't get paid to write fanfiction so I put this story on the back burner until I wasn't as busy at work.


	13. Getting Back on the Saddle

Note: I do own Final Fantasy VII.   
  
**Chapter 13: Getting Back on the Saddle**

"Are you sure that it's safe to travel to Kalm?" Thomas asked nervously as he stared at the looming metal ladder that led to the surface.

"I'm sure it is Mr. Wheeler. I heard the fifth infantry division didn't have any problems when they made their way across the plains. We don't usually see many large monsters lurking between Kalm and Midgar, just small fries," the solider said as he began his ascent up the metal ladder.

Thomas swallowed hard before readjusting the backpack of papers slung on his shoulders. He took one deep breath and closed his eyes as he reached out and grabbed the first rung of the ladder. The paint was so old that large patches of rust were splattered up and down the metal ladder. Thomas normally would have been worried about getting a cut on his hands along the rusted metal edges, but that concern was overshadowed by his fear of falling hundreds of feet down if he were to lose his grip.

The young aide kept his eyes locked on the solider ahead of him as he climbed the ladder. The pair seemed to climb for hours as they continued to go higher and higher up the small shaft. After a few minutes of climbing, the solider finally came to a halt as he reached up to push the hatch open. Sunlight poured into the small shaft and Thomas nearly lost his grip as he squinted against the bright light.

"Never thought I'd see the light again," the solider sighed as he climbed out and offered his hand to Thomas.

Thomas shielded his eyes from the bright light as he cautiously placed his feet on the rickety ground. When he finally dropped his hands and looked out upon Midgar, he was left utterly speechless to the apocalyptic scene. The once great city he had grown up in had been reduced to rubble. The solider was also in awe of the extent to Meteor's damage. They both thought it was a miracle that the Old Midgar kept them safe.

Their thoughtful moment was interrupted by the static of Thomas's walkie-talkie as the buzz jarred the pair back to reality. The aide fumbled for the small device that was clipped to his belt.

"Thomas here."

"You made it up topside yet?"

"Yeah, I'm up top."

"What does it look like?"

"Words can't really describe the scene I'm looking at right now. It's like I'm standing on top of the world's largest junkyard," Thomas said as he scanned the endless sea of destruction.

"Just be careful out there. Oh, do you know if the fifth infantry made it back yet? Eric said he got a call from General Matthews."

Thomas peeled his eyes away from the wreck that was Midgar and spotted an airship making its way towards the area. The airship was close enough that he could read the ship's name to be the Manifest.

"I see an airship headed this way right now. It's called the Manifest. Is that the one Chris?"

"Yep, that's the one. Reeve will be glad to hear that we finally got some fresh food and medical supplies."

"That's good to know. Things are starting to get better, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are. I'm sure that everything will turn out in the end. Good luck out there, ok? Try not to get eaten by any monsters while you're away."

"Thanks for the reassuring words," Thomas replied sarcastically.

"You know we really mean the best for you. But seriously, be careful out there," Chris deepened his tone.

"I will. You guys take care," Thomas said as he switched the walkie-talkie off and replaced it on his belt.

Thomas looked around for his companion and scrunched his brow in curiosity as he watched the solider searching around the rubble.

"Um, excuse me? Did you find a safe path that will lead us out of Midgar?" Thomas asked cautiously.

"Almost, just gotta find a sign," the solider replied as he lifted up a sheet of metal and looked under it.

"A sign?"

"Yeah, a sign. Oh, my name's Pete by the way. Private Pete if you want to be formal and stuff," Pete replied as he poked at a pile of rubble.

"Well, um . . . what exactly are you looking for Pete?"

"This!" Pete shouted with excitement.

Thomas stared at the object Pete was holding in his hands with bewilderment. To Thomas, it looked like a yellowish rock in the shape of a hamburger bun.

"What is that thing?"

"This my friend, is a ShinRa-issued biscuit. The hardest element known to man," Pete smiled broadly.

"A biscuit!?! What the hell are you doing with a biscuit?"

"Captain Lynn from the fifth infantry division left these so that anyone else looking for the safest path out of Midgar could find it," Pete said as he put the biscuit back and followed the trail next to him.

Thomas followed his escort and stared awkwardly at the biscuit as he past it.

"What if some animal comes up and eats this? Don't you all ever worry about that?"

"Trust me, no living creature would want to eat a ShinRa-issued ration," Pete laughed.

Thomas was still amazed at how ShinRa's army utilized their rations and was curious as to what components of the biscuit made it so unappealing. He had never had any ShinRa-issued rations and wasn't sure if he ever would after learning of what soldiers like Pete thought of them. After the pair passed a few of the biscuits, Thomas curiously picked one up trying to see if the hardened pastry was as tough as Pete claimed.

Thomas smelled it, but there was no distinguishable odor that he could detect. He wasn't going to risk biting into it since it had been sitting out in the open. Looking around, he tried to figure out what to do with it, he slammed the biscuit into a metal post jutting out of the rubble expecting the ration to shatter. All Thomas got from that experiment was a loud bang, a dent in the metal post, a biscuit that was still in tact and a very strange look from Pete.

"What are you trying to do, wake-up the natives?" Pete asked while he shouldered his rifle.

"Oh, sorry. I just really wanted to see if this biscuit was as hard as you said it was," Thomas replied apologetically.

"What did the metal post ever do to you?" Pete chided.

Their argument was interrupted by the voice of a man who was climbing up the rubble to where the pair stood.

"Are you two ok?"

Thomas and Pete stared at the man who appeared out the twisted chunks of metal littering Midgar. The man sported a hard hat, which was the only part of his head that wasn't caked in dust and grime. The man hardly looked like the type of person who would go out of their way to ask of someone's condition, but then no one really expects to see anyone climbing the rubble of Midgar.

"Um, yeah. We're good," Pete responded.

"Are you the only survivors? How long have you been in the rubble?" the man asked frantically.

"We're fine sir. We both came from Midgar's underground city," Thomas answered.

"Underground city? You mean there are survivors from Meteor? Oh, thank goodness. We've been searching the rubble for any survivors since last night, but you two are the first people from Midgar that we've seen. How did you guys get out alive?"

"Up about a mile to the East is a trap door leading to the underground city. That's how we got out," Pete answered.

"How many people are there like you? I mean, are there any others searching for survivors?" Thomas asked the man.

"Yeah, about twenty of us traveled here after Meteor nearly took out the entire continent and tried to see if we could help dig out any survivors. As I'm sure you can imagine, we've seen plenty of death and destruction to last us our lifetimes. But would you guys mind coming down to the camp? I'm sure that seeing that there are survivors would help boost our morale. Also, if you want to give us direction as to where that trap door is, I'm sure we could help get anyone else out of the underground city."

"Well, we're kinda in a rush. We need to get to Kalm before too long. There's an exit to get out of the underground city, but we've got the elderly and injured who can't climb up a long ladder to the surface," Pete answered.

"We have a plan to have miners dig in the Kalm mines to open up an exit so everyone can escape. I need to get there so they know where to start digging," Thomas said as he pointed to backpack. "Besides, there should be a convoy coming this way to deliver some food and needed supplies to the underground city. I'm sure that they would be willing to help you."

"Is that what that airship over there is carrying. I saw it earlier but wasn't sure if it was here because of Meteor. I'm glad that we're not the only ones out here trying to do something good."

"Yeah, I am too," Thomas said as his heart warmed with hope. "Oh, and by-the-way, please tell you and your friends thanks for doing what you're doing."

"Nothing a humanitarian wouldn't do," the man replied with a smile. "What are your names by the way?"

"This is Mr. Thomas Wheeler and I'm Private Peter Edinburg, sir," Pete said with a salute.

"I'll remember those names. Good luck to you boys. I'll head on back to the camp to let them know about that convoy."

Thomas and Pete continued on their trek towards Kalm and both landed with a relived sigh on the soft earth as they cleared the borders of Midgar.

"Whew, glad to be finally out of there," Pete whistled.

"Yeah, same here. I guess it's time to start walking towards Kalm and avoiding those monsters," Thomas gulped.

"Avoiding? Hell, we can't avoid them. They come to us. We just have to fight them if they attack," Pete said a bit too enthusiastically.

"Wonderful, looking forward to it," Thomas said with a worried look.

Nanaki watched as Tifa stroked the soft feathers of her chocobo. The pair had climbed on board the Highwind to talk in private about what needed to be done if they were to encounter John ShinRa or worse, Rufus.

"How could Rufus have survived the attack on the ShinRa Tower? I didn't think that anyone could have come out of that blast alive," Nanaki pondered.

"I really don't know. It's possible that Rufus wasn't in the Tower. Reeve mentioned something about Rufus having a half-brother. Do you think that his half-brother was in the tower instead of him?"

"That certainly is a possibility. Though it's also possible that the ShinRa who's walking around is actually the half-brother and Rufus did indeed perish in the attack. So many questions and so few answers; I guess we'll have to wait it out and see."

"What do you think Rufus would do if he did survive the attack?" Tifa asked concerned.

"If he follows the same pattern that he has in the past, then I think his first course of action would be to reclaim his company, which is unfortunately a necessity according to Reeve. After that, he might go back to reaping the world of mako and searching for the Promised Land. I still find it hard to believe that he's important to rebuilding the world," Nanaki snarled.

"I don't think he is, but his money is. I guess it goes to show that you can't rule the world with kindness alone. It really is a shame though, I know that Reeve can do a lot for the world if he only had the chance," Tifa said softly.

"Don't distress Tifa. I'm sure that there are plenty of more people in the world like Reeve and AVALANCHE who don't need to be subsidized for work done or sacrifices made. Just try to believe in that and don't ever lose hope in humanity," Nanaki said as he nuzzled his head against her legs.

"Oh, thanks Nanaki. You always say the wisest things," Tifa smiled as she scratched behind his ears. "I just hope that I can remember that if we do find Rufus ShinRa. Ever since I saw my father murdered, I swore to hate ShinRa for destroying my life. Now it seems though I have to protect the family I hate so much to help the lives of everyone. How ironic, isn't it?"

"Fate certainly does work in mysterious ways. I hope that we do find the missing ShinRa before anyone else does. I'm sure no one could resist the bounty the ShinRa-King Organization broadcast on the radio."

"I know what you mean Nanaki. I hope for Reeve's sake we do find him before anyone else.

"And I hope for that ShinRa's sake, you or I learn of his identity before Barrett does. I don't know how I'm going to be able to restrain him if he finds him first," Nanaki shook his head.

"Just do your best. I don't know whether or not Yuffie or John hold any grudges."

"That does bring me to an interesting matter. What do you think of our new comrade?"

"He seems capable in a fight. I think he's a ShinRa army deserter. The way he talks and acts remind me so much of Cloud when he escaped from ShinRa," Tifa answered.

"I have the same feeling, but I also feel as if he's not telling us everything."

Tifa nodded and pursed her lips in thought. "Do you think he's a threat?"

"I don't believe he is, but all I know is that you shouldn't give your trust to him easily. He should earn it."

Tifa thought of how John was supposed to earn her trust and the sudden image of John fighting off monsters and whisking her off her feet in a dashing rescue popped into her head. The image was quite humorous for the fighter who was fully capable of defending herself and she couldn't help but laugh at her imagination.

"That amuses you?" Nanaki asked.

"No, it wasn't what you said. I was just trying to picture him rescuing me, but it just doesn't look right. You know how I can take care of myself. I don't really feel comfortable being saved by anyone else except Cl—" Tifa stopped suddenly.

"Except Cloud, right?" Nanaki finished for her.

"Yes," Tifa said softly.

"We all miss him Tifa. I understand your pain greatly."

"I know Nanaki. I told myself I wouldn't cry anymore because he wants me to be happy. But he was always there for me to rescue me at the last minute. I don't think anyone could replace him."

"I don't think Cloud would ever want you to replace him either. But as long as he is there in your heart, that should be good enough. Besides, I'm sure you know that everyone in AVALANCHE will be there by your side." 

"I know. Thank you. But I do understand what you're trying to say about John. I'll keep that in mind. You know that he's really no different than any of us," Tifa said thoughtfully.

"How so?"

"Well, we all joined AVALANCHE mainly because we ran into each other. You joined us because you were trying to escape Hojo's lab and Yuffie, well," Tifa chuckled. "That was certainly a random encounter to have in the woods. Also, don't forget that we just opened up a coffin and there was Vincent. We took him in without any questions."

"I do see your point there, but acceptance and trust are two different issues. I had no problem accepting Yuffie or Vincent, but that still doesn't mean that I trust Yuffie with my materia," Nanaki laughed.

"Yeah, don't remind me that I need to keep my materia under lock and key. At least you won't have to worry about our klepto-friend for a while. But please be careful here in Kalm."

"I will. And you be careful as well Tifa."

Rufus watched bemused at the scene that was unfolding before him. Barrett Wallace was busy posting up crude posters announcing a meeting in Kalm's main street for any able bodied man or woman who wanted to help dig the citizens out of Midgar. He knew that AVALANCHE was waiting for one of the executives from Midgar to reach Kalm so they could start digging in the Kalm mines, but Rufus didn't think that their methods of collecting manpower were necessarily the best.

He turned his attention to Cid Highwind who was busily talking to a woman with glasses about the various bits of equipment she had brought along with her. Rufus thought it was strange how the attitude of the pilot had changed suddenly when he began speaking to the woman. Cid's usual barrages of curses and obscenities had greatly decreased and apparently this new attitude was something that this woman hadn't seen in the man either.

Yuffie had been seen bobbing in and out of the crowds collecting various items from some of the more well to do citizens of Kalm. Rufus raised his eyebrow as he watched her take the gil she stole and gingerly give it to some of the needy children around the shelters. He had seen her give everything she stole to the poor with the exception of any materia she happened to find. Rufus shook his head trying not to think about how the Princess of Wutai was nothing more than a thief.

Rufus's eyes widened in surprise and comfort when the Casey's familiar face headed steadily towards him. He had wondered how the older man was handling things at the clinic with Donna bossing him around. Rufus extended his hand as Casey roughly grabbed it and pat him on the shoulder.

"You're still alive ole' boy!"

"I see you're in good spirits too," Rufus said as he nursed the hand that Casey grabbed a bit too tightly.

"I get another chance to live, who'd want to be sour after that?"

"Your mentality never ceases to amaze me," Rufus smiled.

"When you get to be my age, ya try to look at things in a different light, ya know?" Casey laughed. "But did ya find who you were lookin' fer?"

"Not yet, but I ran into a nice group of people who are willing to help me out. I think I'm going to hang around them until things settle down in Midgar before I go searching there."

"Don't blame ya. Say, did you hear the radio last night boy?" Casey whispered.

"Yeah, I heard it," Rufus said so only Casey could hear.

"So, what did you say your last name was?"  
"Uh, Woolfe. John Woolfe."

"Woolfe eh? Hm, ain't that the maiden name of the late First Lady of ShinRa?" Casey asked casually.

Rufus turned to Casey amazed at his perception. His jaw dropped as he tried to think of anything to say that could save him from the situation, but the look Casey had showed that the older man had figured him out.

"How did you know?" Rufus asked as he made sure no one was close enough to hear the two men.

"I may be old, but I ain't stupid," Casey said with a wink. "But don't you worry about me telling no body. Good ole' Casey here is gonna pretend he never knew ya. My only question fer ya is why ya didn't tell me?"

"It's a bit complicated, but my real name isn't John. I'm actually Rufus ShinRa."

"Ya mean ya weren't in the Tower when it went ka-boom?" Casey asked.

"No, that wasn't me. That was my half-brother, John. Though, I think everyone assumes that he's still alive and I'm dead. I know that many people are looking for my brother, but I don't know why so I have to tread carefully and find out who to trust before I can reveal my true identity. Can I trust you Casey?" Rufus asked earnestly.

"Boy, you don't need to worry about a thing with me. I won't even tell Donna what I just found out today," Casey smiled. "I wouldn't even turn in Sephiroth."

"I remember. Casey, I promise you that once I finally reestablish myself, I'm going to pay you back with anything you want," Rufus breathed easily.

"Aw, shucks. All I want is just a quiet life in the country. But if you're looking to repay a favor, you can start by helping all those people ya saw at the clinic out. A whole bunch of folks lost their homes because of Meteor and many more cause of what ShinRa used to be. If ya help them and change what ShinRa was, that'll be enough for this old man."

Rufus nodded his head as he listened to Casey's words. Casey was truly an altruistic man voicing the opinions of the average citizen. His eyes wandered over to the refuges over at the clinic and closed his eyes thoughtfully. Rufus realized he was a fool for blocking out the values and voices of his constituents. It was going to be a mistake he would never make again.

"Casey, be reassured that when I return to office, there will be many changes for the better. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. Make me proud boy," Casey said as he pulled Rufus into a strong bear hug. " I better git so I can help Donna out. You know how she is, but take care now ya hear?!?"

Rufus stood gasping for air as he watched Casey walk back to the clinic. The gentle voice of Tifa turned his attention toward his new ally.

"John, who was that?"

"Oh, that was Casey. He's just a friend who's volunteering over at the clinic," Rufus replied as he stretched to get the circulation back into his body after Casey's hug.

"Oh, I thought he might have been a relative or something," Tifa said reminiscing.

"He certainly acts like one," Rufus replied with a laugh.

Tifa still stared off towards the clinic where Casey had walked off to with a sad smile planted on her face. Rufus was curious as to her melancholy demeanor. She looked like she was missing something vital in her life that Casey sparked some association with, such as a grandfather or a father. Rufus knew better than to pry into an emotional subject such as family so coughed to get her attention as to why she was here.

"Um, Tifa. Are we all set to get going?"

"Huh?" Tifa said roused from her trance. "Oh, yes. Sorry about that. I was just remembering . . . that's all. But I already got all the chocobos ready. Come with me."

Rufus followed with a puzzled look on his face. He was still curious about what Tifa was thinking a few minutes ago. He followed the fighter until they got to the Highwind where Yuffie was standing next to three gold chocobos.

"Have you ever ridden a chocobo," Tifa asked.

"No, I've never gotten the chance," Rufus answered as he stared at the magnificent creatures.

"You've never ridden a chocobo? Wow, you must be some sort of a city-boy," Yuffie teased as she skillfully hopped onto the saddle of her chocobo, Maru.

"You're not the first person to call me that," Rufus replied slightly agitated.

"That's because it's obvious that you've never been to the country," Yuffie said condescendingly.

"Yuffie, stop teasing John! I remember when I saw you ride a chocobo for the first time you fell off," Tifa countered.

"Tifa, I try to forget about that, thanks for reminding me," Yuffie said as she stuck her tongue out and led her chocobo away towards the outskirts of town.

Rufus laughed as he watched the Princess of Wutai stick her head up high as she trotted away trying to keep her pride. "Is she always like that?"

"Yeah, she is. Oh, before I forget. You might want to keep your materia close by, she has a tendency to steal."

"Don't worry, I've noticed," Rufus answered shaking his head.

"But this is going to be your chocobo. His name is Mortius," Tifa said as she offered the chocobo's reins.

Rufus hesitantly took the reins and let his hand glide along the chocobo's soft feathers. The chocobo cooed and relaxed under the hands of his new master. "He's very tame."

"Yeah, I think he likes you. Mortius is one of the fastest chocobos we have next to my chocobo Sabina."

"Are you saying that the chocobo you gave me can't outrun your chocobo?"

"Nope. Mortius may be fast, but Sabina is much faster. I should know, I trained her," Tifa stated proudly.

"We'll just have to see about that," Rufus replied as he tried to mount the chocobo.

As Rufus confidently put his foot into the stir-up, Mortius started to move slightly forward causing Rufus to lose his balance and fall over. Tifa laughed as she watched the chocobo return back and nuzzle Rufus gently with his beak.

"He may like me but he certainly doesn't want me to ride him," Rufus complained as he pushed himself off from the ground.

Rufus wasn't sure why he felt compelled to show-off in front of Tifa. It wasn't a trait that was normally attributed to him. He shook his head as he grabbed the reins of his chocobo and tried to hide the flush of embarrassment creeping up his face.

"Don't worry. I don't really know of anyone who hasn't fallen off a chocobo the first time they've ridden one. Even I've fallen off one before, but just a bit more gracefully," Tifa teased.

"Somehow I can't picture you falling off of a chocobo whether gracefully or not," Rufus said remembering the fighter's agility.

"Well, you better believe it. I have. But go ahead and try again. I'll hold Mortius's reins and steady him."

Rufus was finally able to mount the chocobo with Tifa's help and he adjusted his body to get the right balance on top of the large bird. "So, how do you ride one of these things?"

"To move him forward you just kick him slightly with your feet. If you want to move in a direction, you just move your reigns to where you want to guide him. When you want to stop, just pull back on the reigns," Tifa said as she mounted her chocobo.

"That seems simple enough," Rufus replied as he kicked the chocobo lightly in the side.

Mortius didn't seem to pay any attention to Rufus's commands as the chocobo found a patch of grass that interested him and began munching away on the tall greens. Tifa was already moving toward Yuffie and looked back to see Rufus still trying to urge his chocobo on with gentle kicks to the side.

Tifa shook her head and smiled as she watched the man she knew as John struggle with the animal. Rufus turned to her and pleaded with his blue eyes for some remedy to the situation. Tifa sighed as she snapped her fingers and whistled for Mortius to follow.

Rufus watched as the chocobo's head shot up at Tifa's commands and gingerly quickened to a trot following Tifa and her chocobo. Rufus almost fell off the large bird again but held onto the chocobo's neck and slowly tried to regain his balance.

"This is a lot harder than it looks," Rufus said as he caught up with Tifa.

"You'll get the hang of it. But before we go, do you two have everything you need?"

"Yes, I'm ready," Rufus answered as he straightened the leather strap snapped to the Death Penalty.

Yuffie sat and counted the numerous balls of materia she kept in a leather pouch before answering. " . . . thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven! Ok, I'm set!"

Tifa sighed as she shook her head. "Ok, let's go. We're going over to the Chocobo Ranch first to see if Chaos has been spotted there and then heading south toward Fort Condor."

Yuffie and Rufus both nodded their heads in acceptance and followed Tifa as she led her chocobo out of Kalm. Several children around the refugee camp stood along the city limits as they stared in awe at the large birds carrying the three AVALANCHE members away. After the images of the chocobos had faded off into the distance, the children ran back to the camp passing by Casey as he also stared off into the horizon.

"Good luck to ya boy. You're gonna need it," Casey said with a smile as he turned back toward the clinic.

A/N: I'll get the next chapter up when I finish it. Frankly, I don't know when that will be. These last few months have quite busy for me since I moved into an apartment and started a new job. But now that the dust is settling, I might be able to write more consistently.


	14. Moving In, Moving Out

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 14: Moving In, Moving Out **

Captain Michael Lynn stood on the deck of the Manifest and watched as the airship inched closer towards Midgar. He and his troops had successfully found the supplies that the citizens of Midgar desperately needed. Their trip was also rewarded with the addition of a few hundred of Junon's finest as well as the last functioning airship in Junon's fleet. He and his troops had to wake up at the crack of dawn to board the airship so it would take them back to Midgar in the morning. He was glad he had some coffee for breakfast this morning since he knew that today was going to be a long day.

As Midgar came into view over the horizon, Captain Lynn could hear the audible gasps of many of Junon's soldiers who were piloting the ship. He almost forgot how horrific the scene was the first time you see the rubble. It still amazed him how something that looked indestructible could be reduced to ruins in a mere matter of minutes. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the images of Midgar's destruction were seen all over the world. Unfortunately, he was one of the few unfortunate ones to see it with their own eyes: images that would forever be burned into his memories and pain that would never leave his heart.

"Attention! Attention! We will be landing in five minutes. Prepare for debarkation," the ship's captain blared on the intercom.

Captain Lynn took a deep breath as he looked at his watch. It would take at least an hour to unload all the supplies and get them down the long elevator shaft with the makeshift crane Junon's army brought. He knew he would also have to make a report before finally being able to take his leave and rest. His hands traveled to the small bundle he packed in his vest pocket, a small token of love he picked up for Tina in Junon. It was going to be at least four hours before he would be able to see her.

The airship touched down and the entire ship shook lightly as men began scurrying around the ship to unload all the supplies. Captain Lynn quickly walked to where his men where waiting. They were needed to lead everyone to where the entrance to Old Midgar was. Their jobs were essential to this operation as they were when they left Midgar with the task of finding food and medical supplies for the survivors of Meteor.

The young Captain kept his mind focused on his duties as the cargo doors opened up and he helped lead the way towards the entrance of Old Midgar. The city looked exactly the way he left it, except for the small band of men gathered around the airship. They looked like they had been digging in the rubble as their sooty faces all beamed with hope upon looking at the soldiers walk towards them.

"Boy are we ever glad to see the ShinRa boys in blue," one of the men said as he approached Captain Lynn. "We've been here trying to find some survivors here in the rubble. One of my men told me that they met two people coming out of it saying there was some entrance underneath Midgar where everybody's holed up?"

Captain Lynn's eyes scrunched in confusion over the man's last words. He didn't remember Mr. Rivers giving him any indication that anyone else was going to leave the city except he and his division. He also wondered who these men were and where they came from but he needed to find his answers one question at a time.

"Two people you say?"

"Yeah, they said they were heading out to Kalm with a plan to help dig the people out. What where their names again Bill?" the man shouted to one of his friends.

"Um, Thomas Wheeler and Private Peter Edinburg," the man named Bill replied.

"Yeah, they're the ones. But they told my man that you would show us the entrance to the city if you don't mind us giving you a hand," the smiled revealing a set of white teeth behind his blackened face.

He knew Mr. Wheeler was one of Reeve's assistants so the mission must have been important. He felt a bit sorry for Mr. Wheeler since he had to be accompanied by Private Edinburg who was a capable soldier, but had a tendency to talk too much.

Captain Lynn surveyed the small band of men that gathered around them. They looked like average citizens who were out to lend a helping hand. None of them looked like seasoned warriors, but by the look of the work they had already done, they were once miners. The Captain knew that the path leading towards the entrance was going to be a hellish climb for the soldiers carrying the crane equipment. A little help removing some debris in the way was definitely in order.

"I think we could use your help Mr. --?"

"Randy Lawson, at your service," Randy shook the Captain's hands roughly.

"Captain Michael Lynn, sir. Let me show you were the path is, we're going to need you and your men to help clear a path so we can get some crane equipment through."

Captain Lynn couldn't help but smile as he watched Randy Jones pick-up a shovel and sling it over his shoulder while he led them towards the path. With the added help of Randy and his men, he knew that they would get to the entranceway leading to Old Midgar much quicker and he'd be able to finish his mission. Today was going to be a good day.

_

* * *

_

The massive rubble of Midgar was slowly fading away into the distance as Thomas and Pete crossed the plains toward Kalm. Occasionally, the intern would look over his shoulder to watch the tiny specks of people working around the airship. Thomas wished that he could be there in Old Midgar to help Reeve and the others organize the supplies that were coming in and ration them, but he had another mission and that mission was vital to ensuring the citizens of Midgar's safety. He knew that once the hole between the Kalm mines and Old Midgar was dug, there would be no more fear of how many more days the supplies were going to last or when their supply of fresh water was going to run out. He had the most important mission of them all and he knew that failure wasn't an option.

The intern turned his attention back to Pete and the surrounding fields, keeping an eye out for any monsters that were lurking around the hilltops. Thomas kept a quick pace matching Pete's as the solider leisurely strolled the plains as if he were walking along a beach. Their pace gradually started to slow down as a strange odor crept up the two men's nostrils.

"Do you smell that?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah, it smells like something croaked and died out here," Pete said as he cautiously readied his rifle.

Thomas grew increasingly nervous as he watched Pete ready himself into combat position. The pair was about to climb over a hill, but Pete motioned for Thomas to stay back as he scouted for any potential dangers that were over the hill. The ShinRa solider pointed his rifle over the hill first as he slowly lifted his head so he could see.

"Holy mother of--" Pete cursed as he stood up on top of the hill to fully view the scene before him.

"What? What is it?" Thomas asked climbing up after Pete.

As Thomas's eyes landed on the chaotic scene, the bile in his stomach began to churn. The odor that the two men smelled was the decaying bodies of monsters that had been slaughtered by some creature. Large beasts and small animals alike were ripped apart as bones and flesh littered the plains. Limbs belonging to one creature were scattered haphazardly on top of another. The carnage was so widespread; it was hard to conceive that one creature was responsible for the massacre.

Thomas remembered Reeve mentioning to him that the creature Chaos was loose and had been last spotted along the Kalm plains, but Thomas didn't want to believe that it was Chaos who could do all this. He didn't want to think that after the planet had been saved from Sephiroth and Meteor, another new threat was rising.

"What, what do you think did all of this?" Thomas asked Pete.

"I really don't know, but I don't want to meet whatever did this," Pete answered as he shook his head in dismay.

"I'm going to report this to Reeve."

"Yeah, you go ahead and do that, I'm going to sit down and try to keep my breakfast from coming back up," Pete answered as he walked uneasily down the hill and sat down with his head between his legs.

Thomas wanted to join Pete and keep himself from vomiting, but there were more important things to do. He covered his nose as he unclipped the walkie-talkie from his belt and radioed in to report what he was witnessing.

"Chris here."

"Chris, is Reeve nearby?"

"Yeah, he's here. Did you catch a cold or something, your voice sounds strange."

"I'm holding my breath because of a rancid smell from . . . never-mind, just let me talk to Reeve first."

Thomas looked over at Pete and quickly looked away after discovering that his companion wasn't successful in keeping his breakfast in his stomach. Thomas could still hear Pete puking in the background as Reeve's voice echoed over the walkie-talkie.

"Reeve here."

"Reeve, this is Thomas. Remember how you mentioned the creature, Chaos?"

"Please don't tell me you found him," Reeve said not even bothering to hide the panic in his voice.

"Well, not him, but we may have found out where he was. We came across a pretty gruesome sight along the Kalm plains. It looks like several monsters were torn to shreds."

"That certainly sounds like something Chaos would do. How long do you think it was since the monsters were killed?"

"Eh . . . well, probably quite a while. The flies and bugs are making short work of what's leftover. I really can't say exactly how long, but it's not recent that's for sure."

"Hmmm . . . sounds like they may have been killed yesterday when Chaos was freed. Can you see anything else around you that can help pinpoint where you are on the plains?"

Thomas looked around as he stood on top of the hill, trying not to look down where the mutilated bodies lay. "I can see Midgar several miles behind me and in front of me I can see the faint outline of a river. Northeast of here and I see something on the horizon that looks like a town. I think Kalm is several miles away from where we are."

"Ok, I have an idea where you are. I'll make sure to give Tifa a call to let her know that Chaos was heading east the last time we saw him. Who knows where that creature may be though. Try to be careful out there and get to Kalm as quickly as possible, understand?"

"Don't worry, I didn't volunteer to help Midgar just so I could get torn to pieces a few miles away from home."

"Good, be careful out there. Report to me when you finally make it to Kalm. But how was the trek out of Midgar?"

"It wasn't bad: not easy, but not impossible."

"Do you think average citizens could get out that way without much difficulty or danger?"

"I got through didn't I? Personally, I think the hardest part is that ladder."

"That's good to hear. We're trying to decide whether or not to make that exit open for everyone or not. Thanks for your help. But page me if you need anything else, I have a meeting to get to, Reeve out."

"Roger," Thomas said as he switched the walkie-talkie off.

Thomas carefully walked down the hill as he covered his nose so the foul stench of rotting corpses wouldn't fill his nostrils. He found Pete heaving as the soldier supported his pale body on his rifle.

"Are you okay Pete?"

"I'll be fine as soon as we get out of this place," Pete coughed. "Just give me a minute and then we'll continue walking."

Thomas felt as if he was nodding in acknowledgment, but he knew that he wasn't physically moving his head. The rising afternoon heat and decaying odors finally caught up to him as Thomas found himself meeting his breakfast again. _Why did I even bother to get up this morning? _

"Just let it all out buddy. Trust me, you'll feel better after it's done," Pete said as he pat Thomas on the back trying to encourage him.

"Thanks. Let's go, I don't want to stay here another second."

"I'm right behind ya," Pete said as he helped Thomas back on his feet.

The two men wanted to get out of the plains as quickly as possible and smell the sweet smells of a town bustling full of life and people. It was going to be at least fifteen minutes before they could walk out of range of the putrid smell of rotting flesh. They both knew that and enthusiastically walked up the hilltop with amazing vigor despite their condition.

As the pair made their way through the field of dead monsters, they tried to keep their eyes fixed on the tiny dot that was Kalm. Occasionally one or both of them would accidentally step on one of the carcasses, much to their dismay. Thomas mentally chided himself for deciding to wear his new shoes out on this expedition. To him, it was worse than stepping into a pile of dog shit that usually riddled the streets of Midgar's lower plates.

Gradually, as Pete and Thomas walked further and further along the field of dead monsters, the bodies grew increasingly less. Soon they found the fields free of any dead carcasses, but neither of them was willing to breath out of their noses until they were miles away from the carnage.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about fighting any monsters," Pete said holding his nose.

"What?"

"You don't have to worry about fighting any monsters."

"Really, you think so?" Thomas asked curious as to his companion's confidence.

"Yeah, cause whatever killed all those monsters back there probably got them all," Pete said with a smile.

"Yeah, but what about the thing that killed all those monsters is still out here?" Thomas asked skeptically, remembering Reeve's words about how dangerous Chaos was.

"Well, then we're fucked."

Thomas gulped deeply as he nervously looked around him. _What a mess you got yourself into this time Thomas. Pete's right, if Chaos were to come barreling out way, we're fucked beyond belief. I just hope Reeve was right in thinking that Chaos probably moved on. If not, then good-bye cruel world._

"Hey, look on the bright side," Pete said interrupting Thomas's thoughts.

"What's that?"

"The air doesn't smell like dead monster anymore," Pete said breathing in deeply.

Thomas cautiously breathed in some of Kalm's air and sighed with relief as the smell of daisies and dry grass filled his nostrils. 

"I never realized how clean the air smells outside the city," Thomas said more to himself.

"Yeah, it's always the small things you take for granted until they're yanked away from you."

Thomas lingered on Pete's words and realized how true they were. He had never really appreciated those small pleasures in life such as taking a walk through the plains and smelling the country air. The small things like the smell of wildflowers was something that the people of Midgar would never smell again if he didn't do something about it. Simple things were the ones you missed the most once lost and he was going to make sure that no one who was stuck in Old Midgar was going to miss out on them.

"Come on Pete, we've got to get to Kalm," Thomas said as he quickened his pace.

He and Pete were on a mission to get to Kalm to help dig the citizens of Midgar out of the underground city. He knew what he had to do and no monster-killing beast or fear of said monster-killing beast was going to stop him. Thomas Wheeler was going to save Midgar.

_

* * *

_

The old concrete houses were buzzing full of life as the many displaced residents of Midgar migrated out of their shelters to look down the cascading levels of buildings to the ground level where a large convoy of soldiers stood carrying in many boxes. Children poked their heads over the various fences that were mounted along each level of Old Midgar. Though Reeve had asked citizens to conserve batteries and gas until the supplies came, no body could help but light up their gas lanterns and turn on their flashlights so they could witness the scene.

On the ground level of Old Midgar, supplies were all lined up and ready to be disbursed among the different sections of the city. With the help of over twenty good Samaritans from Kalm, all the supplies had been moved from the Manifest to Old Midgar in less than two hours. They had done the impossible and brought more supplies than anyone had anticipated. The fifth infantry division had saved Midgar's citizens from starvation.

All the soldiers from the fifth infantry division, all of Junon's soldiers and even the twenty or so citizens who volunteered their help were all lined up standing shoulder to shoulder proudly standing in front of the fruits of their labor. Reeve had heard of the success of the mission and personally came out to congratulate and salute the proud soldiers. He walked down the line of the stern faces of all the soldiers whose eyes couldn't hide the excitement of finishing their mission. Reeve wasn't experienced in how to address ShinRa's army, but Eric had briefed him a bit on the key words he needed to say and stood by his side in support.

"At ease gentlemen! I stand here and see not only supplies to help feed the citizens of Midgar for one more day, but enough to feed the entire army of ShinRa for one whole week. All I have to say is that I'm proud of you all. Dismissed!" Reeve said as authoritatively as possible.

Reeve and Eric watched as the soldiers all ran in different directions to see their friends and family. Several of Midgar's soldiers came up to greet their fellow friends from Junon while the men from Kalm awkwardly mingled in with the crowd.

"That was short but effective, sir," Eric stated.

"Thanks. I wasn't sure what else to tell them. But have you already informed the mess hall that the supplies are in?"

"Yes, sir. I've also made sure to assign the next units that need to work on guarding the supplies," Eric said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Great. Make sure that the fifth infantry division gets to rest for a day or two. I don't know what the military protocol for those sort of things are, but I think they deserve it."

"I'll see to it."

"Good, I'm going back up to the office to finish discussing the set-up of the offices in Junon with Chris. You can join us when you're done down here," Reeve said as he walked back up to his office.

Eric Rivers looked down at his clipboard of papers to try and find the file on the fifth infantry division. Once he found it, he looked at the picture of their leader and started to scan the crowd for Captain Michael Lynn. Eric was lucky to find that Captain Lynn wasn't that far and quickly made his way past the various soldiers to get to him.

"Captain Lynn?"

Michael turned his head after hearing someone call his name and noticed that it was the new head of the military, Eric Rivers.

"Sir!" the Captain saluted.

"I have orders from President Anderson that you and your division are to take leave for at least seventy-two hours. I hope that you will pass the word on to your men?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you sir!" Michael saluted as he smiled.

"No, we should be thanking you. If it weren't for your hard work, Midgar wouldn't have lasted one more day. Good work soldier, you're dismissed," Eric said as he saluted.

Michael was ecstatic to hear that he and his troops were being given leave. Now he wouldn't have to feign an injury to find a way to see Tina. He knew that his men needed to know the news and quickly searched through the crowd to find all the men in his troop. It didn't take long since most of them were all together in a group talking amongst themselves.

"Gentlemen!" Michael shouted.

His band of troops quickly shuffled together and got in line to hear their commanding officer's orders.

"I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we haven't been assigned our next mission. The good news is that we won't get that assignment until seventy-two hours from now and you all are free on leave until exactly seventy-two hours from now. When that time has elapsed, I expect each and every one of you to report to me here in this spot. Dismissed!"

Michael smiled as he watched his men cheer and begin to run towards the shelters holding their families. Though his men didn't have another mission, he had one last duty he needed to perform before his mission was over. He wasted no time in heading straight for the temporary hospital after dismissing his men and had no intention of stopping until his mission was complete.

"Why is the Captain going to the clinic? I didn't see him get injured while we were out?" Private Harris asked.

"Oh, he's just looking for a little medicine called love from his fiancé," Lieutenant Darren snickered.

Michael had heard his subordinates talking about him, but he couldn't deny that what they were talking about was a lie. He was going to see Tina. He had remembered the first time they met. He could never forget. He had been stupid and gotten hopelessly drunk after celebrating with his friends on his new promotion to Captain. He didn't remember how he got injured or how the bar fight started, but needless to say, the scar above his right eye wasn't from fighting a monster.

One of the few things that he did remember from that night was fighting the massive hangover he suffered as well as the pain in his head from his injury. He didn't even know that he was in hospital until he opened his eyes and saw the blurred silhouette of the beautiful Tina Carter. She looked like an angel hovering over him and for a split second, he thought he was dead; he even thinks he asked that question. The soft touch of her hand on his forehead let him know that he wasn't dead and indeed still alive to suffer through the consequences of his late night adventures.

He's still amazed that he was able to win her over because he knows that not too long after waking-up, the alcohol had lurched back up to greet him and he had puked all over the poor girl's white uniform. He had never felt more like an ass for making the worst first impression ever. But apparently a miracle happened and through some means, she fell for him. He still doesn't know why she loves him, but he wasn't about to complain.

The walk to the Old Midgar hospital was short as Michael's focus was training solely on finding Tina. He knew that she would be working at the nurses' station and it would only be a few minutes until her shift was over. He hoped that the hospital didn't change its schedule because of the current situation, but it wouldn't matter as long as he got to see her. Finally, after he passed through a few double doors, he was rewarded with Tina's beautiful smile to greet him as his combat boots alerted her to his presence.

"Hey beautiful, look what I got for you," the young captain said as he pulled out a few flowers from his vest.

"Oh, they're so cute. I didn't know that flowers this tiny grew out in the wild. But what I'd really like is to see the sun again. I don't suppose you got me a little sunshine did you?" Tina said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Mike's neck.

"Nope, sorry. They were fresh out of sunshine when I got to Junon," he said as he kissed her.

"You're so silly," Tina giggled. "But how were things on the surface?"

"Not bad. A lot of people out there really don't know what to do or where to go even though their city wasn't the one that was destroyed. I spent a lot of time thinking about how beautiful sunsets were and how beautiful you are."

"You're lucky, at least you got to see one. I've been stuck here trying to help everyone who was injured during Meteor. Old Midgar did its job in keeping us from being crushed, but some debris fell from the ceiling and crushed a few people," Tina said sadly.

"Anyone seriously injured?"

"Yeah, at least one dead. A few with broken bones and everything, but when I think about those small injuries, I realize that it really could have been much worse if we didn't leave the surface," Tina said as she intertwined her fingers with Michael's. "It also helps that most of these buildings like this hospital are fully intact and almost functional."  
"Everything will turn out in the end. I promise," he said as he gently kissed her forehead.

"I know it will," Tina smiled. "But will you be able to come over to my place tonight?"

"I'm yours for seventy-two hours milady," Mike bowed.

"Mine? For seventy-two hours?" Tina said excitedly.

"Yep, but I've been working hard so please be gentle."

"Oh, I'll be gentle . . . at first. Luckily we're fully staffed so I going to get off work in about five minutes so you just stay right there and look cute," Tina smiled as she walked back to grab a clipboard.

Michael watched his fiancé as she had her back turned to him and wrote some notes down. His eyes traveled up her long legs and paused a bit at her rear as he smirked. _I get seventy-two hours of leave and I know that I won't be resting during any of that time. My body'll probably be so sore that I'll dread getting back to work. At least I'll be fulfilling my duties to Tina, and that's all that matters. Damn, today is such a fucking good day. _

Reeve walked through Old Midgar and smiled as he watched the citizens talking about the new shipment of supplies. He was glad that some hope had been restored as he watched some children playing outside the shelters. They hadn't been in Old Midgar for long, but they were able to turn the dilapidated city into the largest functioning shelter known to man. Reeve had heard when he was a young college student that the tenacity of man was unparalleled when put in dire situations and this was proof of it. Everything was going to be all right.

He saluted to a soldier guarding a set of stairs that led to his new office as he slowly made his way up the long staircase. Chris was busy working on communicating with the world about the situation in Midgar as Reeve entered the office. The intern had been successful in posting bulletins on radio spots, the news and newspapers but since most of the major communication companies were stationed in Midgar, the word was slow in getting out.

"Reeve, you're back. I finally wired up some of your Cait Sith equipment with one of the company computers and established an internet connection," Chris said as he pointed to the computer screen.

"Excellent. How about the status on getting the word out?"

"After getting names and numbers of any and all channels of televised, print or radio stations from the surviving members of the media elite in Midgar, I was finally able to get the word out. I made sure they mentioned our need here in Midgar and that a rescue effort is being planned in Kalm."

"Good, have we gotten a good response so far?"

"As far as I can tell, but I just found a blurb on some website and heard from a radio company that the ShinRa-King Organization has been busy."

"How so?" Reeve asked anticipating the worst-case scenario.

"Well, it looks like they've put a price on all the current ShinRa, Inc. executives and the President as well as putting out a huge reward for the death of anyone in the ShinRa family, namely a Rufus or John ShinRa," Chris said as he paraphrased what he read on the computer screen.

"Do you think anyone will take it seriously?"

"I doubt that your average citizen will, but not your common thug."

"Great, hopefully we won't have to worry about that, but make sure you work with Eric on alerting anyone you think should know and I want you two to be careful from now on. But do you have any good news for me?"

"Yeah, I actually do. Finally heard back from Mr. Baker in Junon and he was able to work with some executives in the bank and set-up a relief fund that we can tap into. I also put up a blurb on how to donate to that fund so we should be ok for a little while until we can figure out how to deal with funds for the long-run."

"Right now let's just take things one step at a time. We'll let Mr. Baker worry about the long-term solution to financially support this company until he figures out the loophole to allow ShinRa, Inc.'s funds to be transferred over. What else do you have to report?"

"Well, the office in Junon has finally been restored after Scarlet and Heideggar decided to fire everyone once they took office," Chris said as he rolled his eyes over the mention of his short-lived bosses.

"Thank goodness they're not the ones trying to keep these people alive," Reeve sighed.

"Yes, it is. But about the Junon office . . ." Chris was about to say when a knock at the door interrupted him and Eric walked into the office accompanied by Randy Lawson.

"Eric, who do we have here?" Reeve asked as he looked at the older man with the sooty face curiously.

"President Anderson, sir. This is Randy Lawson. He headed up the small group of men from Kalm to help dig out survivors in Midgar. When Captain Lynn and his brigade made their way back, he and his men helped clear the path leading from Midgar's outskirts to the entrance to Old Midgar," Eric explained.

"Mr. Lawson, it's good to meet you," Reeve said as he extended his hand.

Randy nervously wiped his hand on his trousers before shaking it, "Mr. President, sir. It . . . it's an honor."

"I hear that you helped my men get here to Old Midgar, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir. It . . . it wasn't really much I mean we were just in the area and all and all that rubble was in the way. We were looking to see if we could find any survivors or anything and then these two guys came along and talked to one of my men Bill saying there was some entrance to here then your men come flying into Midgar and then here we are."

"Two men? So you saw Thomas Wheeler and his escort?"

"Yeah, I think that's who they were," Randy said slightly flustered for not remembering the names Bill told him.

"Mr. Lawson, I know that you and your men have already done a considerable amount of work, but I need to ask you if you and your men can help me out."

"Anything you want Mr. President," Randy said straightening up his body imitating a ShinRa soldier.

"I want you and your men to help clear out the path so average citizens can walk through and then escort as many citizens who want to leave Midgar to Kalm. There should be a man in Kalm named Casanova Jones who will take them in once they get there."

"Casanova? Do you mean Casey?"

"Yeah, Casey. Do you think you can do that?"

"Heck, that's easy. Most of the rubble was cleared earlier this morning when we helped get your boys here. Just give me the word and I'll head up top with anyone who wants to come along."

"Good to hear. I'll let you know when we're ready for that. We still need to alert the citizens of Midgar about it. Until then you and your men can take a rest. I'm sure you've worked hard this morning. I appreciate your help," Reeve shook Randy's hand once more.

Randy stood speechless as he looked at his hand and then gave a quick salute before excitedly stuttering, "I . . . I won't let you down . . . sir!"

Reeve watched the door close behind Randy as he turned towards Eric and Chris with a look of confusion on his face.

"Do you guys think I'm really that famous?"

"Well, you are the President now," Eric said as if Reeve's question was rhetorical.

"Yeah, but I don't feel like it."

"Speaking of being the President, I wanted to mention to you that the Presidential offices in Junon have been set up and if you want, you can leave with the Manifest in the morning to relocate there," Chris added.

"I don't think I could leave Midgar in the state it's in right now. I know that we just restocked our supplies, but I don't think I can leave this people here in danger while I am flown safely away to Junon."

"I understand, but I think it's best for your safety and to run the company," Chris pleaded.

"I agree. Also, the Manifest won't be leaving until tomorrow morning so if you decide to change your mind, you can still leave," Eric said.

"I'll think about it," Reeve said half-heartedly as he tried not to think about leaving to Junon.

Reeve didn't think he should leave and escape to safety when he knew that there were many citizens here who couldn't leave even if they wanted to. He felt partly to blame for Meteor falling on Midgar. He was there with AVALANCHE and ShinRa when Sephiroth stole the black materia and cast it. He could have done something to prevent Meteor from ever becoming a threat, but he hadn't. It was now his penance to stay with these people until every last one of them was free and he wasn't going to leave unless he was the last one to leave.

_

* * *

_

Thomas and Pete watched as the small dot on the horizon slowly grew into the bustling city of Kalm. The city limits had grown considerably in order to accommodate the vast number of refuges surrounding the city. Normally the refugee camp would be filled with people milling in and out of the tents, but everyone seemed to be gathered in Kalm's town square.

The pair quickly made their way inside the city despite the pain in their legs and the dry itching in their throats for water. A large crowd of people were gathered around a wooden stage that held several men and a very large red dog. Thomas and Pete could hear the whispers of everyone in the crowd asking if those men were AVALANCHE and why they called a huge town meeting.

Thomas smiled because he knew the reason for this meeting. He was glad to see that he wouldn't have to search the entire city to find the members Reeve said to meet. Thomas looked up to the stage and watched as two men seemed to be talking with the large dog on stage. He thought it odd for anyone to be talking to a dog, but when he noticed how one of them men looked like the poster boy for an anti-smoking campaign and the other as if he were getting ready for a war, it seemed fitting that they would talk to dogs.

"So that's AVALANCHE?" Pete asked with amusement.

"It seems like it."

"Oh, I just thought they would look more menacing, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. The big black guy with the gun for an arm seems pretty intimidating, but not the one smoking," Thomas interjected.

"Hey, weren't there supposed to be some girls in AVALANCHE? The only girl I see up there is some nerd in a lab-coat. I thought the girls in AVALANCHE were supposed to be hot," Pete asked while peeking around to see if he could find them.

Thomas stared at Pete and shook his head as he tried to pretend that he didn't hear his comment. Suddenly the crowd hushed as the large black man approached the podium on the stage. Thomas was anxious as waited for the man to speak and tell everyone of the plan to free everyone in Midgar.

"Listen up foos! Mah name's Barret Wallace from AVALANCHE. I know dat you all probably heard we're terrorists or sumptin' like dat, but we ain't! As ya'll know, Meteor almost hit us, but Midgar's in fucked-up shape an' we need you all to work wit us and dig 'em out!"

"What did he say?" someone close to Thomas whispered to his friend.

"Hell if I know. I don't understand a single word that's coming out of his mouth."

Thomas sighed as he heard the two men talk and hoped that the man with the disheveled blond hair would take over. As luck would have it, the man tapped Barret on the shoulder and shook his head indicating that his speech wasn't working. Thomas and everyone else returned their attention to the stage as the new speaker was about to begin.

The man tapped the microphone hearing nothing and then turned the switch on as the audible whine of the microphone could be heard over the speakers.

"Barret you fathead, you didn't even turn the fucking mic on!" the man shouted at Barret and into the microphone for the entire crowd to hear.

"Hey there! How's everybody doing? My name's Cid Highwind of AVALANCHE. We're here because ShinRa had to go and fuck over the world by creating the asshole named Sephiroth and since everyone from ShinRa were a bunch of pussies, we had to go and cap Sephiroth's ass. As you fuckers probably know, Midgar's royally screwed over and we're the bitches that need to go and dig them suckers out so we need you all to haul your asses over here and do some digging."

Thomas couldn't believe the vulgarity he was hearing as he saw many mothers covering up the ears of their children and many men snickering at Cid's speech. A few were even starting to leave after growing disinterested in the speeches. Thomas hung his head low and knew that AVALANCHE wasn't going to be able to get as many men to help in the dig as he thought.

Just as some people in the crowd were starting to disperse, a loud roar echoed through the town square freezing everyone in their place. Thomas could hear a few people scream as they watched the large dog in front of the stage. To everyone's amazement and relief, the creature suddenly spoke.

"Citizens of Kalm, listen to me! My name is Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon and I am the last of my kind."

"Look mommy, the puppy can talk," a small child said over the hush of the crowd.

Thomas had heard Reeve talk about Nanaki, but never knew that he was a large dog-like creature.

"I know that many of you are just learning about what's happening and others are just hearing this for the first time, but underneath the city of Midgar are thousands of innocent civilians who are trapped underneath the rubble. I have had everything taken away from me and am now hundreds of miles away from my grandfather who is dying in Cosmo Canyon. Even though I know that I have family and friends who I should be with, I decided to fight. I didn't fight for myself though. I fought for them, to protect them. But they weren't the only ones I thought about when I was risking my life. I was also fighting for you all, for those who couldn't wield a sword or fire a gun, for those who couldn't do anything because they didn't have the power. But I did and I used it.

"Though we may have defeated Sephiroth and helped stop Meteor from coming down, the fight isn't over yet. I'm standing here before you because we are all still fighting, fighting to protect the ones we love and those who deserve a second chance. The citizens of Midgar are in need of your help and right now you all have the power to do something. I ask that you join us, join AVALANCHE and help us free Midgar's citizens. Someone asked why should we go out there when Midgar has done nothing for us? I asked myself the same thing before I joined AVALANCHE, but I realized that it means nothing when you think about the future of your young and the future of this planet.

"I protect others without question because I hope that one day when I am in need, someone will do the same for me. We're not standing here because we were ordered to or because someone paid us to. We're here because we all believe in saving the planet and proving to the world that humanity is strong and worth protecting. Don't work with us because we told you to, work with us because you feel in your heart that you want to make a difference and prove to yourself and the world that we're fighting to protect each other. If you strongly believe in this, than I ask you to lend us your strength to save the citizens of Midgar."

Nanaki watched as everyone in the crowd paused in awe of his speech. No sound was made as he quietly sat down and waited for the first sign that they had listened. The loud pop of a man clapping echoed through the square as Nanaki turned to see a younger man standing next to a ShinRa solider clapping for his motivational speech. Soon, other hands joined in with him as Kalm's square was filled with the thundering noise of everyone clapping and noisily asking him how they could help. AVALANCHE had been successful.


	15. Massacre at Fort Condor: Part I

**Note: **I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

A/N: Yes, the title of this fic was inspired by Ayn Rand's novel _Atlas Shrugged_. Kudos to Ghostwriter for figuring that out.

**Chapter 15: Massacre at Fort Condor: Part I**

"Elly, hand me the bucket of worms over there."

"Got it Dad," a young teenage girl in overalls replied.

She watched as her father slipped on a large apron and put on a specially made glove that was in the shape of a condor's head. She loved helping her father feed the baby condor ever since it hatched less than a month ago, but there were so many things that her father did to take care of the condor that she never really understood.

"Dad?"

"Yes, dear?" the man asked as he put a few worms into his condor-shaped glove.

"Why do you have to feed the baby condor with that weird looking glove anyway?"

"Even though we're taking care of the baby condor, he's not our pet. He's a wild animal and we don't want to domesticate him because he's one of the last of his kind."

"Yeah, I know that's why you never want me to hold him or anything, but I still don't get the thing with the glove," Elly said scrunching her nose at the offending glove. "It looks so ugly!"

The man laughed as he heard his daughter, "Yeah, I know it looks ugly, but it's supposed to look like another condor so the baby will think he's being fed by his own kind and not humans. It's really a shame that the mother condor passed away before she could see her egg hatch."

"Because of what ShinRa did, right?" Elly said sadly.

"Yep. Those corporate bastards didn't care if an endangered animal was killed in order to deepen their pockets. I'm glad that Meteor fell on Midgar. They got what they deserved," the man spat as he fed the baby condor.

"What do you think is going to happen to ShinRa now Dad?"

"Not really sure pumpkin. I just hope that someone with a heart takes over the company or that it never rises again. Lord knows that we did a lot to keep this baby safe when he was just in his egg, now he's even more helpless since he doesn't have his mother to protect him. We're the only ones now," the man said gently scratching the baby condor's head with his specialized condor glove.

The baby condor chirped with delight as Elly's father tended to it. The young teenager watched her father with a faint smile as she thought about the events a few months ago when ShinRa was here. She remembered her mixed feelings of anger and sadness for the death of the mother condor, but the feeling of anger was quickly abated by the realization that Midgar was doomed to the fate of Meteor.

Elly had silently prayed for the safety of everyone in Midgar, even if they belonged with ShinRa and were the cause of the pain many residents of Fort Condor felt. Perhaps it was her innocence and naïveté that kept her from holding a grudge against the mega-corporation, but Elly didn't think that her father and many other of the elders at Fort Condor had the right to scoff at ShinRa after Meteor destroyed the city. Many told her that Midgar had finally got what it deserved, but Elly saw Midgar's fate as a tragedy: thoughts she could never share with her father.

"Ok, Elly! The baby's already gotten its share of worms for the day. Can you get some fresh hay for me for the nest?"

"Coming right up, Dad," Elly said as she quickly walked over to the shed near the nest.

As Elly opened the shed to grab a bale of hay, suddenly the loud screeching whirlwind of roars cut through the air. The baby condor started squawking and flapping its wings frantically at the horrid sounds. Elly looked up into the sky and saw a black anthropomorphic creature heading straight for the top of Fort Condor. Large bat-like wings flapped feverously as the creature flew towards the condor nest.

"Elly, get down!"

Elly watched as her father picked up a pitchfork and motioned for her to hide behind the baby condor's nest. She quickly bolted for the small nest startling the baby condor even more as she kept her eyes fixed on her father from behind the mess of hay and condor droppings. As the black creature flew closer to the top of the Fort, she could see it's glowing red eyes hungry for blood. Her heart froze at the sight of the fearsome demon that was only a few feet from where she stood.

She would have probably stood in that same spot forever in fear of the towering creature if it weren't for the horrible screams she heard: her father's screams. Elly quickly turned her head and covered her ears as the last thing she saw was the creature descending upon her father. She tried to block out the noise of the creature as it murdered her father, but the sounds seeped through her fingers and found their way into her thoughts. She knew that she was going to die if the monster were to find her.

Elly probably would have cowered behind the condor's nest until the monster made its way towards her if the panicked squawks of the baby condor didn't waken her sense. The baby condor was defenseless against the creature and she was the only one who could possibly save it. Without thinking, Elly jumped up from behind the nest and reached for the baby condor. She didn't even look to see where the creature was as she ran for the door. Her father's last screams still echoed through her ears as tears formed in her eyes, but she didn't have time to wipe them away or think as she cradled the frightened bird in her arms and sprinted for the door.

Elly felt a sharp pain in her back as she ran past the creature, but she couldn't let the pain stop her from trying to save the baby condor and herself. Several men ran out from the door and the expressions on their faces frightened Elly, because she knew they saw the creature running straight towards them. She didn't remember if she screamed or not because of the loud yelling and rustling from the creature reverberated over everything, even the sound of the many men being ripped apart by the winged-monster.

Her legs kept on running down the stairs as more men ran past her. Her heart was racing as the warmth of the baby condor was the only calming thing admits the chaos. She saw the confusion on many of the men's faces and heard the panic in their voices, trying to remember it all knowing that it was probably going to be the last time she ever saw them if they were to go to the top of Fort Condor. After was seemed like an eternity of running, Elly finally made it to the living area where several people quickly rushed to her side. She didn't remember what happened next as everything fell into darkness.

_(break)_

Reno checked his compass making sure that he was heading toward Midgar across the expansive stretch of ocean. The flight was very quiet and uneventful without Rude or Elena accompanying him, which is why he hated flying alone. However, flying across the ocean suited him much better than sailing across it.

He had heard that AVALANCHE killed Emerald Weapon, but Reno still didn't want to get close to the water after he and Rude got to see it up close and in person while they were checking out the sunken Gelnika. The mission wouldn't have been as bad if they had actually found something on the sunken plane, but it was only a waste of time.

Out over the horizon, Reno could finally see the outline of land and what was left of Midgar. As soon as he was close enough to see the ruined city, he spotted all the new activity that had been brewing since his departure. Recklessly, Reno landed the helicopter near a few ShinRa soldiers who were sitting on the ground resting.

The loud buzz of the helicopter and rough winds the machine made eluded many curses from the soldiers who had to quickly get out of the way before Reno crushed them. Reno only smirked as he saw the angered looks on the various soldiers. He quickly put his sunglasses on and kicked the door open to the helicopter before making his grand entrance.

"Hey buddy, what do you think you're doing landing that thing right here?" a soldier asked Reno before he fully stepped out of the helicopter.

Reno stepped out and stood to his full height as he slung his magrod over his shoulders and gave the soldier an evil grin. He could noticeably see the fear etched in the young soldier's eyes as the once angry man slunk back and put both his hands out in a friendly, yet defensive manner.

"Oh, sir. Sorry, I didn't realize that it was you. Please, feel free to land your helicopter here. My buddies and I were just leaving anyway," the soldier said panicked as he slowly backed away.

Pleased at the soldiers' reaction, Reno was content to know that he still had it. Reno retained his egotistical smirk as he walked towards the entrance to Old Midgar where many of the soldiers were busy carrying crates up the makeshift path. All the other soldiers had the same reaction as the first while Reno leisurely made his way up the path gloating over his intimidation. Reno of the Turks was back in Midgar and no one was going to get in his way.

He finally made it over to where the entrance was located, but frowned slightly when he saw a large crane lifting a wooden crate over to the place he needed to go. A few men were around the crane guiding the crane-operator as he moved the crate over the entrance. Reno knew exactly where that crate was headed and leisurely walked up to it and climbed on top, despite the protests from the men working around the crane.

"Hey you! You can't climb up there! It's dangerous!"

Reno wasn't in the mood to talk and was upset that his presence wasn't enough to alert the men to who he was. Reno glared at the man who spoke to him, slightly lowering his shades so he would see Reno's mako-enhanced eyes. The man stopped in his tracks after seeing Reno's glowing blue eyes and he quickly backed up to where he was originally standing before motioning to the crane-operator to continue lowering the crate.

The men around the crane all watched curiously and fearfully as the Turk was slowly lowered down to Old Midgar. Even the crane-operator took extra care to make sure the crate wasn't being lowered too quickly. The last thing the men saw of Reno of the Turks was when he gave a quick salute and then followed up with a flash of his middle finger. The men knew that the Turk wasn't happy, but they were glad to know that he wasn't pissed.

The crane gently descended down the shaft as Reno stifled a yawn. He hadn't slept much in the past week and knew that anytime that he could sleep was going to be worth every second. He knew that he could easily stroll over to the barracks and take a nap before talking to Reeve, but Reeve needed to know what he knew.

After a few minutes, the crate finally made it's way down to the bottom and a few men were surprised to see the Turk standing on top of the box they were supposed to unload. Rather than impeding their work, Reno casually walked off the box and started heading towards Reeve's office. He ignored the questions and murmurs of the men as they asked themselves why a Turk was in Old Midgar.

As Reno walked around towards Reeve's office, he couldn't help but notice the differences that were made to the underground city while he was away. He could sense the despair and fear replaced by hope and excitement. There were so many mixed emotions he could sense in the air; many that he was sure were caused by the intuitive thinking on Reeve's part to remedy this disastrous situation.

However, those emotions weren't the ones that Reno was looking for as he scanned his eyes across the various people walking around the underground city. The emotions that he was sensing were the ones Tseng had taught him to look for as an essential skill for a Turk: anger and desperation. Unfortunately, those were emotions that Reeve hadn't been able to quell as Reno smirked. This was the main reason why he had to return to Old Midgar. He knew that Reeve's life was in danger.

He finally made his way up the long staircase that led to Reeve's office. Two ShinRa guards quickly stepped aside to give Reno access to the door. Reno didn't acknowledge their presence and didn't even knock as he opened the door and walked in as Chris, Eric and Reeve were having a meeting.

"Hey guys! Miss me?"

"Reno! Where the hell have you been?" Reeve asked agitated that he had interrupted their meeting. "And where's Elena and Rude?"

"Oh, don't worry about them, they're babysitting right now. But don't you want to hear my mission report?" Reno said as he sat down in a chair and propped his legs up on the table.

"Can this wait until later? Chris and I were discussing what to do with all the citizens of Midgar and where they should go."

"You've got five minutes. No more. Trust me Reeve, you're going to want to hear my report," Reno said as he propped back on the chair and motioned for Chris and Eric to continue their meeting.

Reeve merely shook his head at the insolent Turk and turned his attention back to Chris and Eric. "But what were you saying again, Eric?"

"I was thinking that we could call Captain Highwind and see if he could transport any of the citizens to Junon. The Manifest isn't large enough to fit the amount of people that potentially want to leave and I know that Kalm doesn't have the resources to accommodate all these people."

"Chris, what are your suggestions?" Reeve asked as he sat pensively.

"I don't have too much to add sir except that with Midgar gone, it's pretty apparent that the new base of operations for ShinRa is going to have to be Junon and I was hoping that you would go with the Manifest along with her crew to Junon in the morning. I've been assured by Eric that Junon's soldiers will take extra precautions to keep you safe and a base of operations is ready for you courtesy of General Matthews."

"Smashing idea Chris! I give that one two thumbs up," Reno said mocking a snobby accent.

Reeve sighed as he listened to Reno and turned his attention back to the issue at hand, "Right now as the situation stands, I don't think I can leave Midgar. I do like your idea on moving any capable bodies interested over to Junon on the Highwind. Go ahead and make those arrangements and call Cid to make sure we can get the Highwind here to head out to Junon in the morning. Are there any other outstanding issues?"

"No sir," Chris said sounding a bit disappointed that Reeve didn't follow his advice.

"If that's the case, than you two are dismissed."

Chris and Eric quickly shuffled out of the room while trying to avoid the any eye contact with Reno. The pair didn't know what report he was about to give Reeve and they weren't going to stick around to find out. Everyone knew that wherever a Turk went, trouble followed.

Reeve waited until Chris and Eric had left before returning his attention to Reno. The Turk still sat on the table with his legs propped as if he was leisurely sitting and listening to some music or taking a nap. Reeve figured it was the later since Reno's shades were still down and he couldn't tell if the Turk's eyes were open or not.

"So Reno. What's your report?" Reeve asked impatiently as he stood at the head of the table.

Reno turned his head towards Reeve as he brought his legs back down and took his shades off and placed them in his pocket. He then flattened out his suit as the Turk stood up attentively and looked at Reeve directly in the eye before speaking.

"When was the last time you spoke with your wife?"

Reno watched impassively as Reeve's eyes squinted in confusion and then widened in horror as he stammered to answer: to speak.

"What, what happened Reno? Just cut the bullshit and tell me if my wife and daughter are safe?"

"Rude and Elena found a request for a hit on your wife and daughter yesterday. It was supposed to be carried out this morning, but thanks to the Turks, the mission was a failure. Right now Rude and Elena are taking your wife and kid to Junon where they'll stay with them until you join them."

"You knew what was going on and you didn't tell me?" Reeve screamed.

"Would you have wanted to know?" Reno said as he glared at the quivering man before him.

"Yes . . . no. I don't know. I . . . I didn't think that they would ever be in danger. I never thought that I would have to worry about them if they were as far away from Midgar as they were," Reeve said as he sat down defeated.

"You can never predict what the enemy will do. That's why the Turks are here," Reno snorted. "That's something Tseng told me when I first started up."

"Thanks Reno. But how are they? Are they alright?" Reeve said with panic still in his voice.

"Don't worry. They're fine. Your wife's worried about you and your daughter is playing with her little doll-thing," Reno said casually to try and lighten up the mood. "She even gave it a sex change."

"Sara's still playing with Cait, um, I mean Kate Sith? That's good. I didn't think Mel would let her play with it. She thought it was going to be too dangerous. Mel was always afraid that the robots I made were too dangerous. It's good to know that Sara likes it," Reeve smiled as he thought about his daughter.

"Yeah, so why didn't you equip that toy you gave your kid with heat-seeking missiles or something."

"Reno, I'm not giving my daughter a weapon. The Cait Sith doll I used wasn't exactly in the 'suitable for ages 7 and up' category. Besides, it was a prototype that can only move through remote control," Reeve said in disbelief at Reno's suggestion.

"Yeah, but it would have been cool. So if you're so smart and able to make all these . . . things. How come you're only the head of city stuff or whatever your official title was?"

"Well, I wanted to be the head of Weapons, but Scarlet somehow got the job over me. The only other opening was for Urban Development and that was something I wasn't unfamiliar with, so I decided to try it out."

"Oh, so you got seconds over a good lay," Reno laughed.

"Yeah, I think that is how Scarlet got her job. She always seemed to have a smile on her face before the late-President ShinRa was killed by Sephiroth."

"Yeah, after that she was the crankiest old bitch in Midgar. You know she wasn't getting any from Rufus."

"I don't blame him," Reeve said as he shuddered.

"I think she had the hots for you ya know," Reno said with a glint in his eye.

Reeve's faced paled as he heard Reno's words. He never liked Scarlet and didn't even want to think about her having an attraction to him.

"I'm not going to think about that and I don't want to hear another word about it from you either. I'm sure Scarlet knew that I had a wife and daughter."

"Don't you want to see them?" Reno said seriously as he abruptly changed his mood.

Reeve paused for a moment as he looked passively up at Reno, "Yes, I desperately want to see them."

"Then hop on that airship in the morning to Junon. I'm sure your geeks can take care of arranging a nice family reunion."

"I can't do that right now Reno. There are too many things to do here. I swore to myself that I wouldn't leave Midgar until the last man, woman and child was out of here because it's my job to them as the President."

"No job is more important then your family. Rude and Elena are there to protect them, but that doesn't mean they're completely safe from harm. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you decide to stay here any longer," Reno said staring straight into Reeve's eyes.

"And you would know from experience Reno?" Reeve answered trying not to let the Turk intimidation get to him.  
Reno stayed silent as he cast his eyes down toward the ground as spoke softly, "Yes."

Reeve looked at the Turk shocked, "You have a wife and kid?"

"Had. I wasn't exactly married to the girl, but I never was one of those dead-beat Dads either. I always sent Kelly and Mary money whenever I could. Mary was my little girl, she was about four," Reno said as fixed his gaze on Reeve.

"What . . . what happened to them?"

"Only what happens to most people in Midgar. When you cross ShinRa, you end up dead," Reno snorted. "But then, I was also the one who killed them."

"How could you do that?!?"

"They weren't the only ones I killed that day. Remember the Sector Seven plate? Yeah, they were down there when I set the bomb up to destroy the upper plate. I knew what I was doing and I tried to warn Kelly, tell her to leave the area and take Mary far away. But she didn't believe me. I guess if I were a girl I'd hold some resentment toward a guy who knocked me up and didn't marry me," Reno said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry Reno. I truly am. I guess Turks don't really get to have a say in the orders they're given."

"You have no idea. I was so close to backing out, but . . . I couldn't. Tseng would have done it if I refused."

"Could you have told him that you had your daughter down there?"

"You really don't know how we Turks work, do you?"

Reeve only nodded in acknowledgement.

"Turks are free to roam anywhere in world and get anything they want, except they can't be tied down with a family. It's in the Turk code somewhere next to some clause stating how we aren't allowed to have pets or some shit like that. Bottom line, if Tseng knew I had a kid, then he would have personally made sure that I didn't."

"You're more loyal to the company if you don't have a loved-one or family to divide that loyalty, correct?" Reeve said remembering how he made that decision with his wife and daughter through their separation.

"Yeah, that bullshit that ShinRa force feeds you."

"If you hate ShinRa that much, why are you helping me? I still work for ShinRa," Reeve asked.

"Because you're not a cold-hearted bastard like my other bosses. You know what it's like to live for your family; fuck you're even a sappy tree-hugger. Plus, I also think I need to help you to remind myself that I'm still human."

"Reno, I know it must have been hard for you to tell me all of that, but thanks. I think I understand you a bit more."

"Well, don't get used to it. I act like a jackass most of the time because I am one."

"Bitterness will do that to you, won't it?"

"Damn straight. You better pack your things now and get on that airship to Junon," Reno said as he started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"  
"I haven't slept in god knows how long and I need to take a dump; wake me before we fly out," Reno said as he haphazardly saluted.

Reeve stood pensively as he stared at the door that Reno had gone through. After making sure that the Turk was nowhere in sight, Reeve pulled out his picture of Sara and stared at it with a wry smile. He then pulled another picture out that was behind Sara's to reveal the slightly aged photograph of Reeve and his wife on their wedding day. He was so young and in love that the only thing that mattered in the world were himself and Melissa. The early days of his marriage were his happiest, before he started to become too ambitious at work and before he joined ShinRa.

There was no question that Reeve wanted nothing more than to see his wife and daughter. He put the pictures back in their place as he thought about what he had to do. He wasn't sure if he could go back on his silent promise to wait for everyone to leave Midgar before he left, but Reno's words were effective and they had left their mark. Work had consumed him like it had Reno, but unlike Reno, he knew he had a choice. Reeve now had another mission to add to his great mission of saving Midgar; he had to also save his marriage.

The serene moment was interrupted by Eric and Reno as the pair frantically opened the door and entered the room with a grave look on their faces. Reeve looked at the two and knew that something horribly wrong had happened. The first thought that came to his head was that something had happened to the ship carrying his wife and daughter or that the ceiling in Old Midgar was starting to give under the weight of Midgar's destruction. He wasn't sure what the pair was about to tell him, but all he knew was that it wasn't going to be good.

* * *

A/N: Part II will hopefully be up in a few weeks. I'm still working on it. 


	16. Massacre at Fort Condor: Part II

**Note: I do no own Final Fantasy VII.**

Chapter 16: Massacre at Fort Condor: Part II 

"And so then we all went down to the crater and fought all these monsters. I mean I've never seen so many monsters. And Jenova was there so we had to kick her ass. Oh, and then Sephiroth and Jenova merged or something and turned into this huge thing that we had to fight and man, that thing was ugly! But then we defeated that only to have Sephiroth morph again! I mean, how many times you have to kill a guy until he's really dead? But then Cloud, Tifa and Vincent beat the shit out of him and some other stuff happened, but the scary part was when the crater started falling apart. I really thought I was going to die. But then the Highwind came down and picked us all up and we all saw Holy work and fight Meteor, but it wasn't working and then the lifestream came up and beat-up Meteor. It was so cool to look at. Then we landed and well, you know the rest."

Rufus merely nodded as he listened to Yuffie explain what AVALANCHE had done prior to him meeting them. He could have sworn that the young teenager didn't even stop to take a breath while she talked endlessly for what seemed like hours. None of the difficult lectures or studies he had ever had were as dense and fast-paced as the story Yuffie just told. He wasn't sure if he could remember half of what she narrated.

"So, what do you think of AVALANCHE?" the young ninja asked.

"Uh, fascinating," Rufus said trying to sound sincere.

"Yeah, that's what I think to. Oh, do you want to hear about how I was able to steal my father's sword when I was thirteen?" Yuffie asked excitedly.

"Oh, no. That's ok. I think I'll ask Tifa a few questions about Chaos and what we're supposed to be up against," Rufus said making-up an excuse.

"Oh, I can tell you about him! Well, what's first? Let's see . . .," Yuffie said as she thought for a minute.

Rufus inwardly groaned as he tried not to give into temptation and trot away from the young ninja rudely. He looked to where Tifa was just a few feet ahead of him, but she didn't seem to pay any attention to him as Yuffie talked his ears off.

"Ok, I got it! First off, Chaos is something that--"

"Yuffie! I'll race ya to the Chocobo Ranch!" Tifa said suddenly.

"You're on Boobs!" Yuffie said as she kicked Maru in the side and brought her chocobo to a full sprint.

Tifa merely watched as Yuffie sprinted off towards the ranch and laughed as she turned her attention to the new AVALANCHE member.

"You know you could just tell her that you've heard enough. She'll get the picture eventually," Tifa said amused.

"Thanks! I didn't think that she was so vocal."

"Well, she is only sixteen, but she means well. Come on, while we're almost to the Ranch, let me show you how to ride the chocobo while it's at a full sprint."

Rufus nodded his head with a smile, "Ok, tell me what I need to do."

"To bring it to a full sprint you just need to kick it in the side a bit harder than usual and snap the reins. Once it breaks out, you'll want to hold your reins tightly and keep your weight forward. To stop, just pull the reins back to your chest gently. Think you can do that?" Tifa asked with a hint of a challenge in her voice.

"Hey, sounds easy. Just kick and snap, right?" as Rufus kicked Mortius in the side bringing the chocobo to a full sprint. "Oh, shit!"

"Remember to keep your weight forward," Tifa yelled as she sprinted beside him.

Rufus was struggling to keep his balance as he bounced up and down on the saddle. He knew that falling off the chocobo right now would be extremely painful. After adjusting his body and grabbing the reins, Rufus was finally able to position his weight forward and found himself easily riding on the back of a chocobo.

"Hey, I did it!" Rufus yelled over to Tifa who was still beside him.

"Good, now try to catch up!" Tifa yelled as she edged her chocobo even faster and inched further and further away from him.

Rufus smirked as he watched the woman race ahead of him. He wished he had the trust of the chocobo and knowledge to force it to go faster, but Rufus didn't want to risk upsetting the bird and causing it to throw him off. He knew he would eventually find a way to beat Tifa's chocobo; he just had to have patience.

As Rufus rode, a small dot on the horizon was quickly getting larger shaping itself into a house. Realizing how fast the chocobos were sprinting, Rufus pulled on his reins as the Chocobo Ranch came into view. Numerous chocobos could be seen grazing in the fields around the ranch as the small country farm with its rustic look painted a serene picture in the vast fields. They had finally made it to the stables and saw Yuffie next to Maru wearing a huge smile on her face as the pair approached.

"Ha! I beat ya! That means I get your mastered Fire materia," Yuffie said proudly while she stuck her hands on her hips.

"But Yuffie, you ran off before we could even bet on anything," Tifa said innocently as she dismounted.

Yuffie's stature sank as she crossed her arms and pursed her lips in a pout. "Well, I should win something for beating you!"

Rufus shook his head as he slowly dismounted Mortius. As his feet met the ground, he wasn't anticipating his legs to feel so shaky after the short ride. Rufus's legs buckled underneath him as he fell into a heap on the ground.

"Ha ha ha! The city-boy doesn't even know how to get off a chocobo," Yuffie clutched her stomach in laughter.

"Yuffie! Be nice. It was his first time!" Tifa chided.

"Sorry John, but that was really funny. Ok, I'll let this one slide. Seeing City-boy fall off Mortius was good enough of a prize for me," Yuffie said as she stifled her laughter and walked off with Maru.

Rufus sighed as he watched Yuffie walk off after teasing him. Now he knew what he missed when he was sixteen and he was glad that he did. Slowly, Rufus picked himself off the ground as Tifa came over to help him up.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, nothing hurt but my pride," Rufus said trying to avoid any eye contact with Tifa out of embarrassment.

"Don't worry about Yuffie, she's just like that. Also, sorry about that, I really should have warned you about how wobbly your legs can get after riding. For what it's worth, you did a great job for a beginner," Tifa said with sincerity.

"Thanks. I've always been a quick learner," Rufus said as he dared to look at Tifa.

He couldn't hide the blush that was creeping up his face as he stared into her soft burgundy eyes. Tifa was a beautiful woman and certainly more enjoyable to be around as opposed to his more loquacious traveling companion. Rufus swallowed hard as he tried to act casual and stroke Mortius's soft feathers.

"So . . . this is the Chocobo Ranch," Rufus said trying to make small talk.

"Yep. Let me take you around to the stables so you can feed and water Mortius," Tifa said as she took Sabina's reins.

Rufus merely followed as he silently cursed himself for sounding like an idiot. He didn't know what it was about Tifa that attracted him. It was probably his lack of experience around any woman. Scarlet was the only one he had ever been around constantly, but she was twice his age and also the type of woman you'd wanted to keep away from you at all times. He shuddered as he thought of the many times she had made unwanted advances towards him. He didn't know if his half-brother shared the same revulsion to her, but it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if he did.

Tifa had an opposite effect where Rufus felt drawn to her. He knew that he was probably in over his head for having an attraction to the martial artist, but he couldn't fight his feelings. The closest he had ever been to her while he was Rufus ShinRa was when they were escaping the Weapons that were coming out of the Northern Crater. He knew that they had captured her and were going to execute her, but John had been the one to interrogate her and lead her to the gas chamber. He had only been able to watch the interrogation from video surveillance as Heidegger insisted that the AVALANCHE member was too dangerous for him to interrogate or even be near.

Now that he was close to her and could really learn who she was, he knew he was starting to find himself thinking about her more and more. Even though he was developing feelings towards her, he knew that he would have to tread cautiously. If there was anything that he got out of the long speech Yuffie gave to him about AVALANCHE, it was that Tifa was in love with Cloud Strife. His death was probably hurting her more than she let on. Rufus knew what it was like to mourn a loved one and how long it can take to get over a loss. But more importantly, he wanted to wait it out to see if what he felt for Tifa was really something real or simply an innocent crush.

Tifa finally reached the chocobo stables where Yuffie was already tending to Maru. Tifa tied Sabina to a post and strapped a bag of greens to her mane as she gently stroked her chocobo's feathers.

"Hey Yuffie? Could you show John the ropes on how to take care of the chocobos? I need to go talk to Chocobo Billy for a sec," Tifa asked sweetly.

"Sure! City-boy needs to learn how to be more country anyway," Yuffie said with a smirk.

"I have a name you know," Rufus said irritated at the ninja's nickname for him.

"Yuffie, be nice," Tifa said as she walked out of the stables.

Rufus let his eyes follow her as he unconsciously stroked his chocobo's feathers. His silent admiration wasn't gone unseen by a certain mischievous ninja who's eyes glinted with a certain flare. Yuffie knew that tracking Chaos was not going to be a boring trip, but she never knew that it would also be the start of an unfolding drama. Rufus never saw the young ninja's smile widen as she stared at him and began to plot.

It didn't take Tifa long to find Chocobo Billy as she practically bumped into him while walking towards the house.

"Tifa! So good to see you!"

"Billy, it's good to be here," Tifa said as she hugged the man.

"It looks like you cut your hair! It looks nice though."

"Thanks. I thought I needed a little change," Tifa said as she fiddled with the ends of her hair.

"It looks like you all are taking good care of those chocobos. Who's Mortius's new rider? I didn't think Mortius let anyone ride him except Cloud?" Chocobo Billy asked.

Tifa didn't reply immediately as her eyes did all the speaking.

"Did . . . did something happen to Cloud?"

Tifa merely nodded before she found the right words to say, "He passed away right after we defeated Sephiroth."

"I'm so sorry Tifa. I really am. He was a great chocobo trainer, had a way with them. I know he's in a better place though."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," Tifa said softly.

"But what brings you all over here? I thought you'd be gone celebrating after saving the world?"

"The world still needs saving Billy."

"The world will always need saving. You guys need to take a break or something," Billy said shaking his head.

"I wish we could, but one of the reasons why we're out here is to see if you've spotted a monster flying around. Chaos, is loose," Tifa said seriously.

"Damn, that thing? I thought Vincent controlled him."

"We did too, but something also happened to Vincent the same time Cloud died. I don't know why it happened, but somehow Vincent lost control and we're not even sure he's still alive."

Billy stood there pensively as he listened to Tifa and stroked his chin, "That sounds mighty fishy. I don't know if you've heard the news, but right after Meteor was stopped, there were a bunch of reports about some hooded men dropping dead right in the streets. There were several that didn't die, but came out with serious injuries and other that didn't have a scratch on 'em. Mighty bizarre if you ask me."

Tifa's eyes widened as she heard what Billy was telling her. She knew that Hojo had injected all those hooded men with Jenova cells. The fact that the bizarre occurrences happened at the same time that Cloud died and Vincent transformed only solidified her suspicions that Jenova cells were the key to it all. But she didn't understand how some people died while others survived.

"I think I know the link between Cloud, Vincent and the hooded men."

"Really?"

"Yes, they were all infected with Jenova cells. I guess once we defeated Jenova and Sephiroth, her cells started to die."

"But why did some people die while others got away without any harm done at all?"

"I really don't know the answer to that one Billy. I wish I did, but I'm going to find out," Tifa said clenching her fist.

"I'm sure you'll find your answer Tifa. But about Chaos, earlier today the chocobos were really anxious for some reason. I didn't see anything suspicious and none of the chocobos are missing, but it was only about an hour ago when they started acting up like something was out to get them. I thought it was the Midgar Zolem swimming near the edge of the swamp, but it coulda been Chaos."

"Thank Billy, that does help us out a lot," Tifa sighed as she tried to think of where Chaos might be.

"Not a problem. Oh, one other question I have is do you know who John ShinRa is? I keep on hearing stuff about him in the news, but no one I've talked to has ever heard of him?"

Tifa bit her lip as she tried to find a way to answer him truthfully, but without divulging too much information, "Well, I'm not really sure myself. I only heard about him yesterday."

"Maybe that's another mystery you can solve for the world, right?" Billy laughed.

"Yeah, maybe it is."

"Enough chit-chat, you guys must be hungry. Let me get some lunch ready for you all and then you can head out on your way. And don't make that face as if you don't think I should because I know you road warriors never eat. Just make yourselves at home," Billy said as he walked back into the house.

Tifa shook her head as she watched the older man walk into the country house. She knew that his heart was as large as his hospitality and she could never match it in her entire lifetime. After hearing what Billy had to say about Chaos, she carefully thought about where Chaos could be. She knew that he could be heading anywhere: Northern Crater, the ocean, Fort Condor or even back to Midgar.

Tifa wasn't sure exactly where to go, but she hoped that after talking it over with John and Yuffie, together they could figure it out. She also wanted to check back with the pair to make sure that Yuffie wasn't teaching John the wrong way to groom a chocobo. As Tifa entered the stables, the first thing she saw was John standing behind Mortius holding one of the chocobo's tail feathers.

"Are you sure this is something the chocobo likes?" John asked skeptically.

"I'm positive. Chocobos love having their tail feathers plucked," Yuffie said with an innocent smile. "It's a unique experience for them."

"Yuffie! What are you teaching him?" Tifa asked only knowing too well what Yuffie was trying to make John do.

"Oh, nothing," Yuffie said coyly.

"Ha, just as I thought. You were trying to trick me again!" John quickly released the chocobo's feather and pointed accusingly at the ninja.

Tifa shook her head as Yuffie and John bickered like siblings over the small incident. She did admit that the sight of John standing behind Mortius holding one of his tail feathers was quite amusing. The loud buzz of Tifa's PHS jarred her back to reality and she quickly answered trying to ignore the squabble in the background.

"Tifa here."

_"Tifa, this is Reeve."_

"Reeve! How are things over in Midgar?"

_"Right now that's not important. We just got a distress call from Fort Condor."_

"Fort Condor?"

_"They report having a large black demon attacking them. I think it's Chaos."_

Tifa's faced paled as she listened to those last words, "When did the call come in?"

_"Not five minutes ago."_

"We're on our way," Tifa say choking back her fear.

_"Tifa, be careful out there and give me a call after the situation's calmed down for a report."_

"I will, Tifa out," Tifa said as she hung-up.

She knew that it would take at least fifteen minutes to get to Fort Condor on their chocobos at full speed. Tifa also knew that fifteen minutes was going to be too long to save everyone at Fort Condor. She only hoped that they could make it in time.

As Tifa turned to face Yuffie and John, she noticed that the pair had stopped arguing and were now staring at her panic-stricken face.

"What's wrong, Tifa?" John asked.

"Chaos is attacking Fort Condor."

Yuffie and John didn't need any more prompting to know that their rest at Chocobo Billy's was going to be cut short as they busily regrouped their supplies and prepped the chocobos for another journey.

"Yuffie, meet me in front of Billy's house with Sabina. I need to tell him we're leaving," Tifa said to the ninja before sprinting out of the stables.

Tifa quickly made it to the house and opened the door to find Billy putting some sandwiches into a bag for them.

"Oh, Tifa? I've got your lunches ready for you, did you want to sit down for some tea while you're here?"

"I'm sorry Billy, I don't think we have the time. I just got a call that Chaos is attacking Fort Condor. We need to leave right away," Tifa spat out.

"I understand. At least take these sandwiches. I'm sure you'll get hungry after fighting," Billy said as he handed the fighter the bag.

"Thanks Billy, for everything," Tifa gave the man a quick hug before running out the door.

Tifa ran out just in time to catch Yuffie and John coming up alongside the house with Sabina. She hopped on and waved one last good-bye to Billy before kicking her chocobo into a full sprint.

Billy watched as the figures of the three riders faded quickly into the distance. He never understood why the members of AVALANCHE always put their lives in danger to save others. They seemed to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders never worrying about those problems ever crushing them. Ever since he met the group, he had prayed every night for their safety and now he knew he couldn't stop praying because if they were to be crushed by the problems they fought, then the world would fall apart.

The ride to Fort Condor was quiet as the three warriors sped through the swamp and mountains as fast as they could. Their minds were otherwise occupied by the urgency of their voyage. None of them knew what they would encounter once they got to Fort Condor, but that wasn't their main concern. They were all focused on trying to get there in time to save the people who were going up against a foe who could rival Sephiroth in deadliness.

The chocobos had cleared the rocky mountains as the large towering structure of Fort Condor could be seen in the distance. Tifa's eyes focused on the top of the tower to see if she could spot any disturbance, but they were still a few miles from Fort Condor and no human eyes could see that far. There were only two people who she knew had sharp enough vision to see the top of the tower, but one was dead and the other was supposedly at Fort Condor attacking its people.

Tifa wondered if Cloud and Vincent were still alive things would be different. She didn't think that Cloud would have hesitated as long as she did in getting to Fort Condor. Doubt started to plague her mind over whether or not she made all the right decisions and if they could have made it to Fort Condor earlier before Chaos could reach it. She knew that she probably wasn't as good of a leader as Cloud was, but she couldn't think about that right now. A leader had to lead without doubt and hesitation, Tifa knew that. Her main worry was whether or not they were going to be too late.

They finally got close enough so Tifa could see the activity on top of Fort Condor. Her face paled as she realized that they were already many casualties. She could see the form of Chaos on top of the Fort flying from one victim to the next as blood and body parts fell from the skies. The scene was something out of a nightmare that Tifa wished she could open her eyes and make the terrible vision vanish, but that wasn't the case.

Rufus and Yuffie also watched in horror as many men were being torn limb from limb on the top of the Fort. All three felt helpless as they were still too far away to help the men. Rufus knew that they would never get up to the top of the Fort in time to help anyone before Chaos decided to attack the residents still inside the Fort. He looked to both Tifa and Yuffie whose faces wore the mask of fear and desperation.

He shook his head as he realized that neither woman had any idea what to do. Magic only worked if they were in close range and he knew that his shotgun didn't have the right range to fire that far. He almost lost all hope until he remembered the new rifle that he had strapped to his back.

"Tifa, grab my reins!" Rufus shouted.

Tifa quickly reached over and took the reins, "John, what are you doing?"

"The only thing I can do," Rufus said as he pulled the Death Penalty out and carefully aimed.

Rufus tried to keep the rifle steady as he put Chaos in his sight. He kept his concentration as he focused on the winged-demon's timing. He didn't want to miss . . . no, he couldn't miss. Rufus squeezed the trigger and prayed for the bullet to meet its mark. He watched as Chaos jarred back with the bullet's impact and flew unsteadily before veering off away from Fort Condor.

Tifa and Yuffie both shouted in unison, "You did it John!"

Rufus let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in as he relaxed. He wasted no time in putting the Death Penalty back and gratefully grabbing his reins.

"I've gotten rid of Chaos for now, but I don't know if he's going to stay away."

"We'd better hurry and get inside the Fort to see what help we can offer," Tifa said with worry.

The trio quickly reached the foot of Fort Condor and tried to keep their eyes averted from the blood and body parts littering the ground. Once inside, they hurried up the ladders to reach the top of the Fort. As they ran through the corridors of rock and wood, they could see the people huddled in corners crying in panic and sorrow. The sight of the three AVALANCHE warriors helped abate some of their fears, but the emotional scars Chaos' attack left would take some time to heal.

They made it to the last corridor where many men were carrying the injured down from the top of the Fort. Blood covered the room as the men also dragged limp bodies draped in blankets down from the top. It seemed as if the blood flowed down the steep staircase like a waterfall as the men carried the injured and dead down from Chaos' battleground.

Tifa glanced at her glove making sure that her restore materia was equipped before turning to John and Yuffie.

"John, go up and help the men carry the injured and dead down. Make sure you keep your eyes open in case Chaos decides to come back. Yuffie, help me start healing some of the injured."

The pair both nodded their heads in agreement before busying themselves with Tifa's orders. Tifa quickly scanned the room trying to see where she should begin. Her eyes landed on a small group of women huddling the body of a young girl. The large gash across her back looked fatal as the women tried to stop the bleeding with bandages while a baby condor nuzzled its beak along the girl's neck.

Tifa didn't hesitate to run over to the women and cast a cure spell on the badly injured girl. The green glow frightened the baby condor, but as the light dissipated, so did its fear as the bird continued its gentle pecking to try and wake the girl up. The women gasped sighs of relief as the cure spell stopped the bleeding and sealed the wound. The girl was out of danger now and Tifa rose to attend to the next person in need of aide.

"Tifa, is that you?" one of the women asked with tears in her eyes.

Tifa stopped to look at the woman with long brown hair. She remembered the woman from their last visit to Fort Condor. She and her family were devoted to helping the condor and preserving the species.

"Madeline?"

"Yes, that is you. Oh, thank goodness you're here. It was terrible!" the woman cried as she clutched onto the fighter.

"What happened?" Tifa said trying to calm the shaking woman.

"Darryl was up on the roof with Elly taking care of the baby condor when that thing came and attacked without any warning. Elly was able to save the baby condor, but . . . Darryl never came down those steps. No one will let me go up there to see if he's still alive. They won't even tell me if he's dead or not and my poor baby was mauled by that evil creature. She almost died, didn't she?"

"Shhh, it's okay now. Elly's not going to die now. She's safe. Just stay with her for now and I'll ask about your husband," Tifa whispered.

Madeline still clung onto Tifa as she sobbed her thanks to her. Tifa did her best to comfort the woman, but she personally knew how hard it was to lose a loved one. She still couldn't forget Cloud and how sudden his death was. But Tifa knew she had to be strong because she promised him that she would be happy and she wasn't going to forget that promise so soon after she had made it.

A soft groan escaped from Elly's lips as she slowly moved her head. The baby condor squawked in joy and flapped its wings gaily. The women around the young girl all motioned for Madeline to quickly tend to her daughter as she was slowly waking up.

"Elly? Elly? I'm here for you honey. How are you feeling?" Madeline gently said as she stroked her daughter's hair.

"Mom? Is the baby condor safe?" Elly murmured.

"Yes, he's safe. He's been beside you this entire time watching over you."

"Mom? Dad he . . . he tried to save me. But he couldn't fight the thing off. I heard him scream Mom. I think the creature killed him," Elly said as she tried to choke back her tears.

"It's ok baby. I know. It's okay. You're safe now and that's all that matters. Everything will be okay, I promise," Madeline hugged Elly close to her as both women wept in each other's arms while the baby condor watched on confused.

Tifa quietly walked back away from the pair as they recuperated from the attack. The martial artist shut her eyes as the sudden rush of memories breached through to her conscious. She let her finger trace the scar across her chest as Tifa pursed her lips in remembrance of the scar Sephiroth gave her.

She turned around again to look at Elly and watched the young girl as she painfully tried to sit-up. Tifa remembered what it was like when she first awoke after nearly being killed so many years ago back in Nibelheim. She had lost her father and watched her hometown be burned to the ground. She and Cloud were the last original residents of Nibelheim, but now she was the last.

Elly winced slightly as she carefully cradled the baby condor in her arms stubbornly refusing to let anyone else hold him. The young girl was so similar to Tifa in many ways. She also had watched her father die and was nearly killed by his murderer. When Tifa saw the prone body of her father the only thing she could think of was revenge and it was the first thing she thought of when she first awoke in Midgar. But Elly was different from the Tifa who woke-up to find herself alone and the world around her completely changed.

Tifa knew that Elly wouldn't devote her life to seeking vengeance against Sephiroth and ShinRa for the death of her father and the destruction of her hometown. Elly still had hope through her mother, the baby condor and even all the residents of Fort Condor who were still alive. Chaos may have killed many people, but Fort Condor is still standing and many of its residents still alive. Tifa knew that they had gotten here in the nick of time because through the thick cloud of death and dismay, there was still hope lingering in the air. She also knew first-hand that the situation could have been much worse. However, it wasn't another Nibelheim and for that Tifa was grateful no one else had to live with the same pain she did.

"Tifa? Is everything okay?" Yuffie's unusually placid voice quietly asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok. I was just remembering, that's all," Tifa turned to face Yuffie slightly flustered as she tucked a bit of stray hair back behind her ear.

Yuffie wanted to inquire about what Tifa was remembering, but knew from the look in her eyes that she was either remembering the incident in Nibelheim of Cloud. Yuffie concluded it was probably both.

"You know Tifa? We did save a lot of these people. I already healed up everyone that was injured though there weren't many, but they're going to survive you know?" Yuffie said to try and lighten up Tifa's mood.

"I know Yuffie. These people are survivors and they're alive because they have each other to depend on," Tifa said as pulled Yuffie into a hug. "Thanks Yuffie."

Yuffie was slightly confused as to Tifa's actions. She gently pat the fighter's back as she felt Tifa slightly shake. Yuffie knew that Tifa was strong and she secretly admired the woman, but even a teenage girl knows that a person isn't invincible to stress and emotions.

"There, there. Just let it all out if it's going to make you feel better," Yuffie said softly.

Tifa pulled back slowly from Yuffie's embrace and quickly wiped the tears that were in her eyes, "I can't let it all out just yet. There's still so much that needs to be done here. I can't let them see me crying when these people are looking to us for strength."

"But Tifa, you can't let yourself get too stressed out. What would we do without our leader?" Yuffie whined.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I just need a hug every once in a while to let out some frustration," Tifa said as she sniffed back a few tears.

"Well John and I are here if you ever need a shoulder to cry on. Though you'd probably want to use John next time because I'm too short," Yuffie said with a slight tinge of mischief.

Tifa merely shook her head and smiled, "You're not too short Yuffie. Besides, you're still growing. But we probably should check on John now that you mention him. Since you've already taken care of things down here we should give everyone some room."

The two women walked up the stairs leading to the very top of Fort Condor both in their own thoughts. Yuffie was thinking of different ways to gauge Tifa's feelings towards John while Tifa was busy planning what else AVALANCHE could do for the people of Fort Condor. They carefully made their way up the bloody stairs and stepped out into the roof only to see a gruesome sight.

Blood was splattered everywhere as various bits and pieces of ripped clothing and flesh drenched the area with death. If Tifa didn't already know that the baby condor was safe with Elly and Madeline, she would have guessed the baby condor was torn to shreds based on all the blood on the condor's nest. The noise of Yuffie puking in the background was the only thing that could be heard as men silently removed the remains of their friends and neighbors out from the rooftop.

"Tifa! Yuffie! What are you two doing up here?" Rufus shouted at the two women after hearing Yuffie vomiting.

"We . . . we wanted to help," Tifa stammered for her words, still in shock over seeing the carnage.

"You two shouldn't have come up here. It's too dangerous and this isn't a sight you should see," Rufus said as he tried to block the horrific scene from Tifa with his body.

"So much blood. It's just like that time in Nibelheim and the ShinRa Tower," Tifa mainly muttered to herself.

"What?" Rufus asked curious about what Tifa was referring to that matched the carnage on Fort Condor.

"Sephiroth, Chaos, they're both the same. Neither of them care if they destroy lives or kill innocent people because they're both monsters. Why is it that when after one monster is finally dead, another one appears, why?" Tifa said as all her emotional barriers were crumbling as her voice cracked.

Rufus couldn't think of an answer that could satisfy her question. He watched her with concern as she helplessly looked past his body frame; mesmerized by Chaos's aftermath. Rufus didn't want her to continuously look at the blood and gore that was behind him as he put his hands on her shoulders to get her attention.

"Tifa, look at me."

Tifa turned her head towards the gentle voice as tears started to stream down her face. She had no more energy or strength to hold them back anymore as she collapsed unknowingly into Rufus ShinRa's arms and poured out her emotions.

Rufus wrapped his arms around Tifa as he gently stroked her silky hair. He was surprised that Tifa had suddenly broken down in front of him. He wasn't sure what it was that Tifa was reminded of, but he would try to find out from Yuffie the first chance he got. Rufus hoped that he wasn't holding Tifa too tightly, having never really embraced a woman or tried to comfort one.

"Everything's going to be alright. We'll find Chaos and we'll destroy him. I'll make sure that no other towns have to suffer like the people here, I swear to you," Rufus whispered into Tifa's ear to try and soothe her.

"Just hold me, that's all I ask," Tifa whispered.

Rufus obliged to her words and stood there as he held Tifa Lockheart in his arms. He didn't know how long she needed, but he didn't care. Time seemed to stand still as he held her body close to his and smelled the sweet fragrance of her hair. His heartbeat quickened uncontrollably as Rufus felt her soft skin. He closed his eyes and realized he now had the answer to what he felt for Tifa as he held her in his arms. It was painfully obvious that he was falling for her and there was nothing in the world that could catch him because he was falling hard.

Yuffie glanced over her shoulder at the touching scene between Tifa and John. She continued to pretend to vomit as she tried to listen to their conversation. She put her hand over her mouth feigning sickness when in fact she was trying to hide the smile on her face. Yuffie was glad that Tifa was finally letting out the emotions that she was bottling up. The ninja was also glad to see John getting a bit of action as she smirked at the starry look in his eyes as he held Tifa.

Yuffie glanced around and knew that there wasn't anything that she could do to help the men who were busy cleaning up the mess made after Chaos. Quietly walking towards the door, she glanced back one more time to watch Tifa cry on John's shoulder. Yuffie smiled as she walked down the stairs. She knew that it was up to Yuffie Kisaragi to take over for a while and the first thing she knew she had to do was call Reeve and let him know how things were in Fort Condor.

The ninja pulled out Tifa's PHS that she happened to nab while hugging the martial artist and dialed the numbers to reach Reeve. Yuffie fiddled with her bag of materia as she listened to the dial tone.

_"Tifa, is that you?"_

"Sorry, Boobs isn't here at the moment."

_"Boobs? Who's Bo-- . . . Yuffie? Is that you?"_

"The one and only!"

_"Why are you calling? Never mind. What's the status at Fort Condor?"_

"Well, City-boy shot Chaos and then he went flying away . . ."

_"Wait, who's City-boy?"_

"Oh, the new guy, John Wolfy or whatever his last name is. But as I was saying . . . Chaos went flying away and then we all got into Fort Condor. There were a lot of injured people and there was also blood and guts everywhere. But everyone's safe right now," Yuffie narrated dramatically.

_"How many people were killed?"_

"Gosh, I don't know. There weren't many bodies left behind ya know. Chaos kinda ripped them up. But if you have to know, I think at least thirty or so. I heard some lady saying that they were all mercenaries or something. It's so totally gross out there Reeve, you should see it. I mean there are body parts on the ground and . . ."

_"Yuffie! That's ok. I think I've heard enough. Do the residents of Fort Condor need any aide?"_

Yuffie looked around the corridor and noted how most of the injured had been taken elsewhere and there weren't as many residents bustling around the area.

"They look fine to me."

_"When Tifa can come to the phone, tell her to give me a call before you guys leave Fort Condor,"_ Reeve sighed on the other line.

"If you say so, but she'll probably tell you the same thing."

_"I just want some reassurance. Nothing against your judgment Yuffie, but they might change their minds before you leave."_

"Ok, I'll tell her. Anything else?"

_"No, that should be it for now."_

"Ok, cool. Bye then!" as Yuffie hung-up before Reeve could respond.

Yuffie put the PHS back in her pocket and then looked around for anything to do. There were no other people who needed healing and she didn't want to go back up to the roof since the mere sight of all that blood made her stomach churn. The young ninja looked around again for anything interesting in the room, but found nothing that interested her.

"Come on guys, I'm bored!" Yuffie said more to herself than to anyone.

Her eyes traveled to the stairs and she inched a little closer to them as she peaked up to try and see if she could still see John and Tifa. She knew that she shouldn't spy on them, but Yuffie was curious as to how things were developing. Carefully putting her back to the wall, the ninja stealthily moved up the staircase and crouched down low so she could see John and Tifa at the top of the staircase.

The pair hadn't moved from their embrace and Yuffie was wondering if they were going to stay like that there forever. She could still hear Tifa silently sobbing and for a moment, Yuffie felt a bit guilty about peeping in on their intimate moment. But her curiosity was greater than her sense of morality and she stood there waiting patiently until someone spoke or moved.

Tifa relaxed herself in John's embrace as she cried pent up tears on his muscular shoulder. The way he held her reminded her of the night everyone went to find their reason for fighting. It was the same night when Cloud held his childhood friend in his arms until dawn. Tifa could still remember the sweet smell of Cloud as he held her during the night. She almost thought it was the same scent she smelt, but she remembered that the man holding her now wasn't Cloud Strife, but John Woolfe.

She still didn't know what to think about the new member of AVALANCHE. He was still a mystery to her yet there was something about him that seemed familiar. Tifa raised her head to look up at John and gazed into his soft blue eyes. It was those eyes that Tifa gazed into that she felt some recognition. They were like Cloud's before his joined ShinRa's army; they were beautiful and hopeful.

"Thanks," Tifa said sweetly.

"Anytime. Are you feeling better?" Rufus asked he tried to restrain his hands from reaching up to wipe away a few tears from her face.

Tifa nodded and smiled before she looked down at her feet embarrassed, "I'm sorry I broke down like that. I guess it's just everything that's been happening lately and seeing all these people suffer. I wish there was more that we could do for them."

"You don't have to be sorry about that, you have been through a lot lately. Unfortunately, I don't think there's much more we can do for them right now except try and track down Chaos. We should probably leave soon if we want to be fresh on his tracks," Rufus said trying not to sound too critical.

"You're right John. We'll get going after we double-check to see if there's nothing more that they need. I'll go and check downstairs with the residents if you see if there's anything left up here to do," Tifa said as she wiped away the tears from her face.

"As you wish," Rufus said slightly bowing his head.

Tifa smiled at his display of courtesy and slowly turned around to make her way back down the door.

"Oh, Tifa?"

Tifa turned around to face John, "Yes?"

"If you ever need to cry again . . . I mean, if you ever need to talk to just let your emotions out again, I'll be here," Rufus said nervously.

"I'll remember that. Thanks," Tifa smiled as she made her way back down the steps.

Halfway down the stairs, Tifa noticed Yuffie hunched against the wall heaving. Tifa remembered that Yuffie had been throwing up on the rooftop and gently put her hand on the young girl's back.

"Are you feeling alright Yuffie?"

"Yeah, I'm much better now," Yuffie said trying to hide her smile. "Just needed to get down here were there was less blood and guts."

"You have a really sensitive stomach, don't you?"

"Hey, that stuff out there was really gross looking you know?" Yuffie said defensively.

"I know. But I'm going to go check if anyone else here needs any help before we leave. Just stay here and recover because we'll probably be leaving here in a few minutes depending on how things are."

"Gotcha. Oh, don't forget to call Reeve before we leave," Yuffie said as she put her hands on Tifa's shoulders and slipped the PHS back in the pockets of its rightful owner.

"I won't forget. Thanks for reminding me though."

Yuffie smiled as she watched Tifa walk down the staircase to the heart of Fort Condor. The young ninja couldn't help but notice how Tifa looked more relaxed after crying her heart out to John. Yuffie was glad to see Tifa look genuinely happy since Cloud's death. She didn't think Tifa was falling head over heels for John quite yet, but Yuffie was going to make sure that that changed.

"Yuffie?"

At the sudden call of her name, Yuffie reverted back to her 'ill' demeanor and sluggishly turned her head around to find John standing a few steps above her. He sat on one of the steps as he motioned for her to sit next to him. Trying to keep up her act, she sat down with her head between her knees and coughed a few times.

"Yuffie, can I ask you a few questions?"

"Shoot," Yuffie said with a cracked voice.

"Do you know what happened to Tifa in Nibelheim and the ShinRa Tower that reminded her of what she saw upstairs?"

Yuffie tried not to start talking energetically and paused for a moment as she collected herself, "Let me start with the ShinRa Tower because that one's a bit easier."

Rufus nodded his head as he propped his hands on his knees.

"Apparently, AVALANCHE was in the ShinRa Tower when President ShinRa was killed by Sephiroth. Tifa never told me this story, but I heard from Barrett that apparently Sephiroth murdered so many ShinRa guards that the halls were splattered with blood. He also said that it was the first time they met Rufus ShinRa, but the main point is that Sephiroth killed people and made it look like they exploded into a pool of blood."

Rufus listened carefully to her words and recalled the night he heard that his father was killed. Heidegger had insisted that John head out to the ShinRa Tower to see if the news was true. The General didn't want to risk having the entire ShinRa bloodline be wiped out by Sephiroth in one night. Rufus had only read reports about what happened that night, but none of them mentioned the grotesqueness to how Sephiroth murdered.

"And what about Nibelheim?"

Yuffie thought for a moment before she finally answered, "Tifa only told me this once, but I think I remember it all correctly. Basically, Sephiroth was sent on a mission to inspect the Nibelheim Reactor several years ago. I think it might have been five years ago or something. But to make a long story short, after fixing the reactor Sephiroth somehow went crazy and then started to murder everyone and burned all the houses killing everyone in the town.

"Tifa's Dad tried to stop Sephiroth, but he was killed in the process. Tifa said that after she saw her father die, she swore to get her revenge against Sephiroth and ShinRa for destroying her life. Tifa was almost killed by Sephiroth that day, but somehow she survived. She has a scar on her chest from where Sephiroth cut her.

"She and Cloud were the only ones from Nibelheim to survive, but now Tifa's the only one left alive who remembers that incident. ShinRa tried to cover the whole thing up by rebuilding the town and putting actors there, but I don't think she could ever forget how she saw Sephiroth murder everyone she knew and loved. She really blames ShinRa for having Sephiroth there and making him who he was as well as covering up the incident. But I think what happened today sort of reminded her of Nibelheim. Does that help?"

"Thanks Yuffie, that really helps," Rufus said with his head hung low.

"Yeah, I'm sure you understand her a bit now. I mean . . . I would also hate ShinRa and Sephiroth if I were in her shoes. They took everything from her, more than ShinRa ever did to Wutai during the wars. Tifa deserved to get her revenge and I'm glad that Sephiroth is finally dead and everyone in ShinRa is too," Yuffie said with a nod.

Yuffie turned to look at John who still held his head low as if he was in deep thought. She guessed he was sulking after hearing the horrible things that Tifa had to live through. Slowly getting up, Yuffie dusted herself off before stepping down a few steps.

"John, if you need to know anything else about Tifa, just let me know. I'd be happy to tell you," Yuffie said with a smile as she turned around and left the man to his thoughts.

Rufus stared at the space where Yuffie recently occupied and rubbed his hand over his brow in frustration. He had never heard of what happened to Nibelheim. His father would have never told him and he knew none of the ShinRa files would mention it for fear of the files getting to the press. There were few memories that he had of that town, but the one of the little girl in the white dress played in his mind over and over again as he tried to think of the fate that befell her. He was certain that she probably perished alongside the rest of the town since Tifa was the lone survivor. He had never gotten her name and now he never would find out who she was.

Rufus set aside his memories as he focused on the pain Tifa must have endured and the hatred she harbored for all those years. He was amazed that Tifa could be as collected as she was having suffered from so much loss: loss that was partly the fault of his father's actions. He doubted that Yuffie's story exaggerated Tifa's disdain towards ShinRa and Sephiroth. But Rufus somehow hoped that the ninja was lying.

Rufus knew that he couldn't hide his feelings for Tifa, and he didn't think he would. But he had to hide his true identity to her. He could never let her know that he was really Rufus ShinRa; the son of the man responsible for her pain. He hoped that he would never have to reveal his true identity to the world. Rufus didn't want Tifa to hate him, but mainly, he didn't want to see her hurt. Rufus was going to remain John Woolfe for as long as he possibly could for Tifa's sake.

A/N: The next update may take a while. I'm starting to plan my wedding so I won't have as much time to devote to writing. Don't worry though, I'm not giving up on this story.


	17. Living on a Prayer

**Chapter 17: Living on a Prayer**

The blare of an alarm clock thundered through the peaceful room as a woman's slender hand sluggishly reached out to hit the snooze button. It was six in the morning; time for Tina to wake-up and get ready for work. Normally, Tina wouldn't have a problem getting out of her warm bed and jumping into the shower, but this morning was different. Lying next to her with his arms wrapped in a loving caress was her soon-to-be husband, Michael.

Tina smiled as she watched his sleeping face through the dim light that seeped through the crack of her door. One of the first things she had to adjust to living in the underground city was reminding herself that she wasn't underneath the upper plates of Midgar anymore. She was accustomed to the darkness as were all the citizens of Midgar. But the darkness of the city sucked away all hope and that made her heartache for escape.

She missed the sunlight and hoped that they would be able to leave for the surface in a few days; if the surface was still there. Michael had reassured her that though Midgar was destroyed, nothing else on the planet was touched. She hoped that he was right. She hoped that one day she could wake-up to the sun's rays peaking through her curtains. It had always been her dream to live in the country and get married in a field of flowers: flowers like the one he brought back to her. She looked back down at Michael's sleeping face and smiled as she kissed him gently on his lips. _I can't wait to get married to you. Tina Lynn always had a nice ring to it._

Tina threw back the covers and shivered as the cold air passed over her naked body. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she found Michael's arms still grabbing onto her waist. She tried to slide his hands off her body, but only found his grip tightening as he smiled in his sleep.

"Don't go."

"Sorry honey, but I have to get ready for work."

"No. No work. Stay," Michael said childishly.

"Honey, you may have shore leave, but I don't," Tina sweetly whispered.

Michael didn't loosen his grip on his fiancée's waist as he mumbled something incoherent before drifting back to sleep. Tina sighed as she again tried to pry his hands away from her body, but his grip was too strong for her to break. Looking over to Michael's serene face, she smirked as she thought of his one weakness. Quickly, her fingers pounced on his body as she began tickling him in as many places her small hands could travel.

Michael writhed in laughter as he released his hands from around Tina's waist to stop her onslaught of tickling. Tina took this golden opportunity to jump out of bed and sprint to the shower, giggling the entire way as she heard Michael trying to catch his breath.

He lay there panting as he heard the shower turn on and Tina softly hum a beautiful melody. Turning over, he read the large red numbers of the alarm clock and cursed as he threw the covers over his bare chest.

"I'm going to get you for that you know?" Michael yelled out towards the shower.

"Uh-huh, sure," Tina's voice echoed back.

Michael wanted to get back to sleep, but Tina's sudden attack had jolted his muscles and he knew that it would take him a while to feel relaxed enough to let his senses drift. Right now all the noises and sounds seeping through the door along with the sound of the water running in the shower were the only things he could hear. He honed his acute hearing to the bathroom and raised his brows in a smirk as he heard the shower shut off and Tina's humming grow louder. Widening his eyes, he looked towards the bathroom hoping to catch a glimpse of Tina, but when she stepped out of the bathroom a light green towel hid all the delectable parts of her body.

Slamming his head down on the soft pillows in disappointment, Michael groaned as he stretched his arms over his head. A blanket of thick black hair entered his field of vision as Tina bent down to kiss him while he lay in bed.

"Get up sleepy head," Tina cooed.

"But I want to watch you change," Michael whined.

Tina smacked him playfully on the shoulders as she unwrapped the towel and threw it over Michael's head. He quickly removed the towel in time to see Tina in all her splendor and glory. Tina merely shook her head with a smile as she dressed and shuffled through the room for her supply of breakfast rations. She grabbed two rations and turned to throw one at Michael. Her face scrunched in disbelief as she saw the lecherous looks on his face as he caught the ration packet.

"You're such a pervert, you know that?"

"I am because you make me that way," Michael said as he climbed out of bed and walked over to Tina to give her a kiss.

Tina leaned into the kiss, but quickly pulled back with a playful smile on her face, "Ew, you're stinky!"

"You didn't complain about that last night."

"Shush, you. I'm going to be late if you keep this up."

"Do you want to be late?" Michael smirked.

Tina smacked him on the arm with her breakfast ration before she walked over to the door with Michael in tow. She reached the door and turned around to envelope Michael in a deep passionate kiss. He was so transfixed on Tina's soft lips and sweet smells that he didn't notice it when she opened the door that led out to the main city.

Michael felt her disengage from the kiss and wave good-bye to him as behind her he could see people outside walking along the different levels to the city. His eyes widened in horror as he realized that he was standing in Tina's doorway stark naked. Michael cursed as he ran behind a wall and tried to cover his body with his hands.

"I love you honey," Tina said sweetly.

"Love you too," Michael replied as he sighed with relief after hearing the door close.

He shook his head with a wry smile as he let out a breath to fight the blush that was creeping up his face. He knew Tina had her mischievous side, but she was also the most caring and kind woman he had ever met. It was the ability to fall in love with both sides that helped him realize that she was the only one for him.

Michael looked over at the bed and thought about going back to sleep, but he knew that his mind was too alert for rest. His eyes then traveled to the bathroom where a nice hot shower awaited him. Raising his arms to smell his body, he shook his head as he walked toward the bathroom.

"I don't stink that much."

Michael wasted no time in taking a quick shower and eating the breakfast ration that Tina had thrown at him. He hadn't been able to see Old Midgar's sites since he helped evacuate all the citizens underground. He knew from reading history books that the old capital had been the pinnacle of architecture in its time. The little that he was able to see greatly impressed him and the young Captain thought it would be a nice day to explore the city that was the ancient capital of his ancestors.

Walking out into Old Midgar in civilian clothing, Michael was amazed at the number of lights that illuminated the streets. It was reminiscent of the lower plates of Midgar where the only light came from street lamps. He didn't think that a city which hadn't been inhabited for over a hundred years would even be standing let along have a power source. But Midgar's engineers had three days to prepare for the evacuation and the Captain could see how their efforts had paid off.

Every level of the city had power and water along with the basic amenities. The main lights were centered on and around the town square where the houses and buildings seemed to cascade down towards the center like water flowing into a lake. Looking down from the third level where Tina's apartment stood, he saw a large crowd congregating around the town square and curiously walked over to see what the commotion was about. As he drew closer, he could see hordes of people with bags and backpacks slung over their shoulders. They were all lining up for some huge event that Michael didn't know about.

He walked over to a solider who was trying to keep people in line, "Hey buddy, what's going on?"

"Didn't you hear the announcement last night? A ShinRa solider should have knocked on everyone's door?"

Michael blushed as he remembered that he and Tina were otherwise occupied at the time and probably couldn't hear anyone with all the noise they were making.

"Uh, no sorry. I must have been busy at the time."

The solider merely rolled his eyes, "Well, if you heard the announcement, President Anderson is allowing any capable body to leave Old Midgar using the escape ladder leading to the surface. From there people have the option of either going to Junon via the Highwind or hiking towards Kalm."

"Oh, really? Good to know," Michael said as he scanned his eyes over the crowd of people. "Looks like you guys got a nice turn out too."

"Look, either get in line or scram cause I've got work to do and no time to talk to dumbasses," the solider snapped.

Michael raised his hands up defensively as he backed away calmly, "Sorry buddy. Just trying to figure out what's going on, that's all."

The solider snorted in reply and ignored Michael as he walked away with a smirk on his face. Michael knew he could have easily put the solider in his place, but the poor guy probably didn't even know that he was talking back to one of his superiors. Unfortunately for the solider, Michael remembered reading his nameplate. _Private_ _R. Clark, probably with the 20th division. Well, well Mr. Clark, you've certainly made an impression on me. I'm going to keep my eyes on you so you better be on your best behavior._

The off-duty Captain walked alongside the line to see how many people were leaving. Most of them were teenagers or young couples carrying all their worldly possessions on their backs. He knew that if he wasn't working in the ShinRa army and if Tina weren't a nurse, they would be one of those young couples waiting in line to begin a new life.

They all had hope etched on their faces: hope that they could find a better life outside the broken city of Midgar. He knew that they had lost everything because of Meteor. There was no mistaking the fact that everyone suffered, but despite all the pain they still wanted to survive. Pain and hope; two different feelings that shared an odd relationship with each other, but co-existed in the minds of all the survivors.

Near the front of the line a small commotion was erupting as the loud shrieking of voices could be heard echoing through the town square. Curious, Michael sauntered over to where the screeching originated and watched passively as a middle-aged woman and her adult son were arguing with Eric Rivers.

"I demand that my son and I get on the Manifest to Junon. It's preposterous how we have to ride a separate airship," the woman squealed.

"Ma'am, the Manifest is reserved solely for military personnel. All civilians are required to board the Highwind if they want to be transported to Junon," Eric tried to reason.

"This is ridiculous, you would never treat me and my son this way if you knew who we really were. I could have your career completely ruined if you don't put my son and I on the Manifest."

"I've already told you both. No civilians are boarding the same airship as President Anderson. We're trying to provide the best security for his safety and allowing civilians on board the ship will only jeopardize that."

"Your job will be the only thing in jeopardy if you don't let us aboard," the woman seethed.

"Mother, that's enough. As you see the man is clearly just doing his job," the woman's son finally spoke out.

"Nicholas, I'm only thinking of what's best for you."

"I know, but that's enough," the man's voice echoed, rivaling his mother's in assertiveness.

The older woman backed off and pert her lips in reluctant acceptance. A sigh could be heard through the crowd as the situation finally defused itself.

Nicholas turned to Eric as he bowed apologetically, "Please excuse my mother. She sometimes gets carried away with her words."

"That's what mother's are for I suppose. But please proceed up the ladder towards the Highwind," Eric replied.

Michael watched with interest as the pair made their way towards the ladder. He couldn't help but notice the strange smirk that the woman's son gave Eric as he walked past him. There was no doubt in his mind that the two were trouble, but he wasn't exactly sure what sort of trouble stirred inside their heads. Captain Michael Lynn had a strange feeling that his shore leave would be cut short.

_(break)_

As the morning sun warmed the cool earth and illuminated the crumbling city of Midgar, photographers and video cameras all beamed their flashes of light against the once grand infrastructure. The reporters had finally arrived. Like locusts, they swarmed the foot of Midgar hovering around the place after the immediate danger had cleared. News had traveled fast about Meteor's assault on Midgar, but no one knew if the city was safe and no one dared to find out until now.

For a majority of the world, citizens were grateful for surviving the onslaught, wanting to savor their second chance to live in this beautiful world. It was only after the celebration and rejoicing that people remembered not everyone was able to survive Meteor unscathed. The people began to demand coverage of Midgar and news of what may have happened to the city, to ShinRa, and to their future. As demands came in, the media stepped up and listened. Now they stand at the foot of destruction transmitting images of all the chaos and pain suffered from what was once deemed the capital of the world less than 72 hours since Meteor was stopped.

Soldiers and survivors all gazed at the cameras hoping that they captured a clear image of their face to be shown to the entire world that they were still alive. A handful of soldiers were lucky enough to be interviewed by the slew of reporters swarming the city. But all the camera lenses were mainly waiting for the appearance of one man: President Reeve Anderson.

One reporter patiently waited for the new President to make his appearance so she could ask the questions she had written on her notepad. Autumn Noval knew she was different from all the other reporters who were stationed around the city. She considered them novices in the journalism world, unable to figure out how to get a real scoop versus a typical story. Autumn knew that over half of the reporters were going to cover the progress of Midgar's recovery, a handful would ask about the mysterious deaths of many cloaked men and another handful would ask about AVALANCHE and their involvement with stopping Meteor.

She knew that all those stories were easy to cover but were also going to be overplayed. Every major news agency was going to report about Midgar's progress and the other two stories would probably get passing coverage, but those stories could be heard from any old network or any old newspaper that happened to send a field reporter out to Midgar. Autumn was going to ask the one question that no one bothered to ask, but everyone wanted to know: who is John ShinRa?

Autumn returned her attention to the path leading to the entrance of Old Midgar where gradually everyone was leaving the city. She frowned in disapproval of all the novice reporters who wasted their time interviewing the refugees that left the city. They didn't have the same patience she had as she waited for the sign that the man of the hour was about to appear. Her patience paid off as a number of ShinRa soldiers walked down the path deliberately and methodically in two lines.

In the center of the two lines was none other than President Reeve Anderson as many uniformed soldiers flanked his sides and a single disheveled Turk eyed the crowd suspiciously. All the reporters rushed in towards the President in a wave that was sent back by the fully armed and ready ShinRa soldiers. Autumn noticed the tired look in the President's eyes as he heard the barrage of questions being thrown in his direction.

The reporters maintained their verbal onslaught as the President continued to be escorted from the ruins of Midgar to the cargo bay of the Manifest where armed ShinRa soldiers stood shoulder-to-shoulder blocking any potential stowaways from trespassing. Everyone watched and suddenly became silent as President Anderson turned to the sea of reporters and held his head up high. Cameras were flashing constantly as everyone waited for what the President was about to say.

"I know all of you want to know what is going on and what ShinRa is doing to help remedy this situation. I can assure you that the citizens of Midgar are safe underground and there is no immediate danger to them. We are taking steps and measures to get everyone out safely. Right now I am relocating to Junon to work with the banks and military to keep the government running and discuss how to best allocate funds to survivors of Meteor. Because of the massive amount of work that still needs to be done, I'm not going to be answering any more questions right now, so if you'll please excuse me."

The President slowly turned as more cameras flashed and several reporters turned back to their camera crew to relay their thoughts on his speech to the public. However, Autumn knew that things weren't over because a good reporter knows it's never over until you have your story. There were still a few other reporters trying to ask more questions, but their voices weren't strong enough to make it to the President's ears. Only one question stood out among the drabble of all the others and that was Autumn Noval's.

"Mister President. Who is John ShinRa?"

Autumn smiled as she saw President Anderson pause and slightly turn his head back as if considering her question.

"No comment."

The reporters watched as the President continued on into the Manifest and the ShinRa soldiers pushed the crowd back so the airship could safely take-off. Few people really thought about the reaction and answer the President gave to the last question. But Autumn had her answer. Though the President never told her whom the mysterious John ShinRa was, she knew one thing and that he was important.

_(break)_

Elmyra Gainsborough busied herself in the kitchen as the remaining AVALANCHE members spoke with Thomas Wheeler about where to start digging in the Mythril Mines. The older woman tried to engross herself in the conversation, but found the topic to be rather droll for her tastes. She thought that the topic was mainly something that only interested men, but Cid's assistant Shera seemed to be actively engaged in the conversation that Elmyra felt out of place with the group.

Aeris had always told her that she was a bit too old fashioned, but those words had never been taken to heart until now. She missed having her adopted daughter say those words to her, even if they weren't the most endearing. What mattered was that they were spoken truthfully and from Aeris's mouth. Elmyra knew that Aeris was going to be a much better woman than she ever was; she didn't think that Aeris's greatest strength and gift to the world would ultimately call for her death.

Elmyra breathed deeply as she tried to stop the tears from streaming down her face again. She had cried herself to sleep for many nights after Reeve told her the news about her daughter's death. She didn't want to remind herself about how her heart still ached. Frustrated that cleaning hadn't taken her mind off of the low points in her life, she turned to the television to watch the morning news.

Most of the news covered the aftermath of Meteor's descent upon Midgar. The images shown on the television reminded her that AVALANCHE and ShinRa, Inc. had a daunting task ahead of them to restore order to the world. As she watched the images of Midgar, a small line of text ran across the bottom of the screen talking about a reported attack on Fort Condor by a large demonic creature. Elmyra wondered whether the creature was dangerous or not, but the text only mentioned that more information would be relayed shortly. She worried that the demonic creature mentioned was Vincent's transformation that Tifa told her about.

Before she had time to dwell on those thoughts, the news focused on the Mayor of Kalm as a camera crew showed the Mayor in Kalm's town square. _"I have with me now Douglas Wildman, the Mayor of Kalm. Tell me Mayor Wildman, how has Meteor's impact on Midgar affected your city?"_

_"Well, a majority of our power came from Midgar's mako reactors so one of the biggest concerns was whether or not the reactors would be functioning after impact. I kept close contact with President Anderson regarding the power output and on his advice, increased activity in the old coal reactor. From my understanding, only two of the mako reactors are actually fully functional after Meteor's impact, but most of that power is needed for Midgar so reopening the coal reactors was a cautious, yet wise decision._

_"Also, Kalm is seeing a large number of refugees coming into the city from Midgar and we are doing the best we can to make everyone who comes here as comfortable as possible. I'm sure you've seen the tents outside the city where the refugee camp is stationed and we anticipate more refugees as citizens are able to leave Midgar safely._

_"How about the rumor that AVALANCHE and President Anderson are working together to dig the citizens of Midgar out of the rubble?"_

_"That's hardly a rumor since I can honestly confirm that it's true. I believe that they will be beginning work today on trying to dig some sort of tunnel to reach the citizens of Midgar. A ShinRa engineer and AVALANCHE are currently discussing the plans on where to begin digging as we speak and many of the fine citizens of this town are more than prepared to assist in any way possible."_

_"Thank you for your time Mayor Wildman. I'm sure the citizens of Midgar are grateful for your kindness."_

Elmyra smiled as she heard the news about how her friends were being praised for their efforts in Kalm. There were so many people who were willing to help. Yesterday's town square meeting was a great success for AVALANCHE in gathering volunteers. There had been so many experienced miners in Kalm that she forgot the city used to be a mining town. Everyone seemed to have their place in helping with the recovery effort. The older woman questioned what sort of role she had in helping the reconstruction of Midgar and the world.

The news broadcast shifted its attention to another segment that talked about Old Midgar. This peaked Elmyra's interest as she's only heard about the ancient city that she lived overtop of for many years. The older woman quickly checked to make sure that the main group was still engrossed in their conversation before tuning her attention to the television.

_"And here we have a special guest from Junon University's History Department, Professor Maechen. Professor Maechen, thank you for speaking with us today."_

_"The pleasure is all mine. I take it that you would like to hear a story?" _

_"Yes, I'm sure that the history of Old Midgar is quite interesting to myself and our viewers."_

_"Ah, yes. Old Midgar. Over five hundred years ago, Midgar was once a city that was built along with the land. You see, Midgar was a city that was built in a deep valley with houses rising up along the earth making levels and levels of the city. It was a very prosperous city where the lowest level of the city collected all the rain and supplied the people with water. _

_"The lands around the city were also green and flush with life. It was the capital of agriculture and trade. There wasn't a single person who couldn't find anything they wanted in Midgar. The city's technology was top notch as it was the first city to have plumbing and any large power source to keep the city running._

_"Because of this growing popularity, the city could no longer accommodate the number of people who wanted to move to the city. More and more people wanted to live in the city and as more people came, the demand for power increased. The valley was only so large and they could only supply only so much power and land they realized the city needed to expand, but the question was how was it going to expand?_

_"A successful merchant spotted the problem with the city and decided to call upon the help of an engineering prodigy who discovered the natural energy source called mako while on an adventure with a group of companions. With the financial support of the merchant, the young prodigy designed a city that would rise upwards towards the heavens and be powered by an almost unlimited supply of mako energy. Deciding that building overtop the old city was the best option to retain the current residents of Midgar while building more housing for newer ones, the two began the work on building the city that became the Midgar we all know of today._

_"As the new Midgar was being built, more and more residents of the old city moved to the newly built city as sections of it were completed. It appeared that no one wanted to be left behind in the old city while a new capital was being born. In time, the lower plates for Midgar were finished and hardly anyone was left living in the old city. Eventually, people forgot about the old city as they relished in the new power source called mako. It took nearly 50 years to complete the lower plates, but the young engineer was able to see the beginnings of New Midgar and the birth of mako power. And that is as they say is that."_

_"Thank you for that enlightening bit of information about Old Midgar. Are there any more important points about the city that you think the viewers would be interested in?"_

Elmyra waited patiently as she stared at the older man with the long white beard and glasses. He didn't seem to have heard the question as she saw the reporter shift uncomfortably and smile awkwardly at the camera. Soon the soft noise of snoring filled the airwaves as the professor had nodded off shortly after finishing his long lecture.

_"Well, I think it's time for a commercial break. We'll have more about the progress in Midgar as well as some enlightening history from Professor Maechen after the break. In the meantime, we ask that all your prayers go out to the citizens of Midgar who are still trapped underneath the city."_

Elmyra couldn't help but laugh at the slight spectacle she saw. The history of Old Midgar was interesting to hear, but she was glad that she wasn't the only one who felt like they were being lulled to sleep by the old man's soft and gentle voice.

She turned her attention away from the television in time to see everyone at the table begin to rise.

"Barret, are you all finished with your meeting?"

"Yep. We've got everything now. Jus' gotta get the men. Hope it's no trouble watchin' Marlene," the large man asked gently.

"Not a problem at all. Marlene is a dear. Is there anything else you all will need?"

"No, I think we should be okay. Thank you so much for your hospitality," Thomas politely said as he rolled up the blueprints.

"Shera, stay here and help out," Cid said brusquely.

"But Captain, I haven't finished the modifications for the new digging invention we were working on."

"You wha--," Cid nearly exploded, but calmed down after Nanaki glared at the pilot with a feral growl. "I mean, you can finish up the modifications, then once you're done, I want you back up here with Ms. Gainsborough."

"Yes, sir. But, what do you want me to do when I'm here?"

Cid began to open his mouth, but shut it as if he was rethinking what he was about to say. Elmyra couldn't help but notice how his eyes softened as if he was about to tell her that he didn't want her to be in harms way. But she had heard enough about the macho pilot to know that it would be a cold day in hell before he was going to admit his softer side.

"Shera, I just want you to help Elmyra here in case she needs anything and the only other thing I want you to do is to hope and pray," Cid said in an uncharacteristic display of gentleness.

Shera merely nodded and smiled as she readjusted her glasses. "I understand."

Elmyra also understood what Cid meant. She knew that there wasn't anything that she could do politically or physically to help Midgar. But she could at least instill some hope in the trapped citizens and the workers who were going to risk their lives to dig them out that there were people who cared. The only thing she could do was hope and pray for their safety and remind them that there was someone at home who worried about them and was waiting for their return home.

_(break)_

Melissa Anderson had always considered herself a patient woman. She knew that painting required that virtue as each brush stroke had to be purposeful. She even developed patience throughout her life in taking care of her daughter as well as putting up with her husband, which certainly tested her patience. However, today she found herself fidgeting uncontrollably as she anxiously waiting for the Manifest to arrive in Junon.

She glanced around the room and tried to occupy her mind with a distraction from tapping her foot on the floor, looking at her watch and looking out the window for any sight of the airship. Her daughter Sara was playing with one of the Turks, Rude. It looked like Sara had broken Kate Sith and the Turk was helping her fix the toy.

Melissa smiled as she watched her daughter ask the Turk repeated questions about what he was doing and what the various parts of the toy's mechanisms were as he answered each of her questions while continuing to work. The bald man was displaying acts of compassion that she didn't think Turks possessed, but then she had never met any Turks until yesterday when they saved her from a would-be assassin.

Her eyes wandered over to where the other Turk was stationed as she sat at a desk with a laptop. Melissa wasn't sure what the woman was doing, but she knew that the female Turk kept her eyes busy as she would repeatedly look from the laptop to the door and back again. If Melissa didn't know any better, she would have sworn that the woman shared the same nervous anxiety that she harbored. It was amazing how people who are supposed to be cold-blooded killers were mainly average people, only difference was that they had blue suits and guns.

Pacing around the room a few times, Melissa returned to the window and stared out onto the blue ocean. She couldn't see the airstrip where the Manifest would be landing, but she hoped that if she looked out the window, she could catch a glimpse of the airship as it came into Junon. She knew that Reeve was safe since the leader of the Turks was at his side protecting him, but she needed to see him to give her heart that assurance.

She didn't even know what she was going to say to him when he finally got back. She wanted to wrap her arms around him tightly and tell him how much she missed him, but she also didn't want to come racing back into his arms after suggesting that they separate. Melissa frowned because though she knew she was a patient woman, she was also stubborn. It was her stubbornness to keep Sara from the dangers of living in a large urbanized city that strained their marriage.

Reeve had always supported her artistic lifestyle and she had been by his side when he had to work those long nights for ShinRa, Inc. But having kids can completely change everything and they did. Priorities shifted and tempers grew short as the long nights working overtime became what Melissa thought were his excuses to retard their family life. She knew that he couldn't change his work schedule and had to do what his employers asked of him, but Melissa was too stubborn and that is what caused her to move to Costa Del Sol with her daughter away from the husband she loved and away from the busy life that kept him away from her.

Now after a year away from him and a year in the peaceful life she wasn't sure if Reeve was the same man she fell in love with many years ago. She didn't know what to do when she finally saw him again and how her heart would feel. Melissa ruefully hoped Reeve was going through the same emotional dilemma she was; but she wasn't sure if after the year apart from each other he still loved her.

Melissa held her hand to her chest as she ran her fingers over the smooth surface of her wedding band. She had been wearing it around her neck since their separation and almost forgot what it looked like. Quickly unclasping her necklace, she let the chain dangle in front of her while she let her eyes scan the ring. There were a few nicks and scratches on the band, but it still had retained its beauty. On the inside of the band she read the inscription she and Reeve decided to etch into both of their wedding bands: Always and forever.

She closed her eyes as she thought about how they've both betrayed those words through their separation. _Reeve, please find it in your heart to forgive me. _Melissa removed the ring from the gold chain and squeezed it onto her left ring finger where she inspected it in the sunlight like a newly blessed bride. The ring still fit and it felt right having it there. She smiled as she put the gold chain back around her neck and hoped that her reunion with Reeve was going to be a happy one.

The sudden whir of an airship's engine sang through her ears as she put her hands to the window like an anxious child. Along the horizon she could faintly spot the Manifest coming closer to the airstrip. Melissa smiled and breathed a deep sigh of relief as she wrung her hands in nervous anticipation. Reeve was finally here.

Elena also heard the arrival of the Manifest and she found herself looking out with the same anxiety as Melissa after blotting to the window from her desk. The two women were oblivious to the gaze of the bald Turk who merely shook his head in mild amusement as he returned his attention to helping Sara with Kate Sith.

"Are they finally here?" Melissa asked, noticing the female Turk beside her.

"I think so. Let me check."

Elena quickly pulled out her PHS and quickly dialed Reno's number. She tried to hide her giddy excitement as she listened to each ring of the phone. The Turk had to bite her lip in order to keep herself from shouting gleefully into the phone once he heard the distinguished sound of Reno's voice on the other line.

_"Reno here."_

"Reno, is the President secure?"

_"Yep, El Presidente is safe, can't say much for his shoe soles though. He's been pacing around like a roadrunner with diarrhea."_

Elena stifled a giggle and heard Melissa laugh as Reno spoke loud enough for both women to hear. "How long do you think it'll take for you both to get here?"

_"Depends on where here is. We're landing right now so if you're talking about meeting us at the old pub, then I'd say five minutes."_

"We're not meeting you for drinks Reno. We're in the Presidential Office."

_"Oh, you mean we have to go back and do work. Shit, I thought we were coming here for the booze. But I'd say it'll . . . ."_

"It'll what Reno?" Elena asked smartly.

_"Shit! Code Red!"_ Reno's voice said in a panic as the sudden sound of guns being fired drowned out the rest of what the Turk was saying.

Elena knew that Code Red meant there was an assassin in the area and Reeve's life was in danger. She hoped that Reeve's wife hadn't heard the gunshots on the other line, but the pale look on the woman's face told Elena that it was too late: she had heard and she knew that Reeve was in danger.

Before Elena even had time to explain what was going on, Melissa ran for the door and sprinted through the halls. She had heard the gunshots through Elena's PHS and knew that those guns were firing at one person and one person only: her husband. Melissa blindly ran around Junon's base mainly following the rush of guards. She knew that she might not make it in time, but she had to be there and see for her own eyes if Reeve was alive.

Melissa turned a corner and gasped as she saw a light at the end of the hall and military medics quickly rushing to the aide of someone on the ground. She tried to lunge toward the fallen body to get a closer look, but someone held her back grabbing onto her waist as she franticly struggled against the man. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to catch a glimpse of who the man on the ground was, what he was wearing or anything that would give her some clue as to whether or not it was Reeve.

The only thing she could see were the medics working on him as they tried to revive the man. Blood was everywhere and soldiers were still running around in a panic. She saw the red-hair of Reno shooting through the crowd as he yelled something to several soldiers who then surrounded her and the man who was holding her back.

"Let go! I have to know if he's still alive!"

The man didn't listen to her as he merely held her tighter. The wall of soldiers prevented her from seeing what was going on and there was too much noise from the bustle of people to hear what the medics were saying. She needed to know, had to know if the man on the ground was Reeve.

Suddenly two of the soldiers stepped back as Reno walked through the blockade of men and stared at her. The cold blue-eyes of the Turk only looked at her for a second before his eyes moved upward and said two words that stung at her heart:

"He's dead."

A/N:  Sorry for the long update.  Still going to be busy planning my wedding so not sure when the next update will be but I'll post it when it's done.


	18. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Note: I do not own Final Fantasy VII.

**Chapter 18: Between a Rock and a Hard Place**

All her thoughts and emotions were numb as two words echoed through her senses. She couldn't feel anything; couldn't breathe. She could only hear those taunting words 'he's dead,' reverberate through her ears knocking her off balance. She didn't want to believe that the man she married, the father of her child, was lying lifeless in a pool of his own blood. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but now that chance was gone.

Everything was a blur. She could feel someone's warm hands wrapped around her: comforting her. He smelled so familiar, like a particular after-shave that she had given Reeve one Christmas. The scent was refreshing and soothing as if Reeve's ghost had come to give her one last good-bye. If it was Reeve's ghost haunting her in his first seconds of death, then she wished that he would haunt her for eternity. She thought that if she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough, she could hear him calling her name.

"Mel!"

He even called her by her nickname. The one he gave to her when they first started dating after meeting each other in college.

"Mel!"

She heard her name again and smiled. She wondered for a moment if ghosts could hear.

"Reeve?"

"Mel, it's me. Open your eyes!"

She was confused. _Open my eyes?_ She didn't know why she needed to. The illusion was perfect with her eyes closed. She wasn't sure what she would see if she opened them. Would Reeve be there smiling at her with a halo over his head and angel wings? She was curious and so without any hesitation, she slowly fluttered her eyes open and let the light fill her senses.

"Mel! Look at me. I'm here. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

"Reeve? Are you . . . real?"

"Yes, I'm real. I'm as real as you are; flesh and bones."

Melissa hesitated as she reached her hand up to touch his face. His warm blush could be felt through her fingertips as she cupped his cheek and stared back to see the tender look in his eyes. He was alive!

"Oh, Reeve! I thought you were dead!" Melissa sobbed as she threw herself into his arms.

"I can't die yet. Not without fulfilling my promise to you and Sara," Reeve whispered softly as he smoothed his hand over her hair.

"You remembered."

"Of course I did."

Melissa smiled as she cried on Reeve's shoulder. She felt like a fool for not noticing who was trying to hold her back from the chaos while she charged head first into danger. The tearful reunion wasn't exactly the way she imagined, but after getting married and having children, the unexpected was something that always happened regardless of how much you prepared.

"I'd hate to break-up the touching scene, but this ain't exactly the safest place to kiss and make-up," Reno's voice cut through the air.

"Reno's right, we've got to get out of here. Are you ready?"

Melissa merely nodded as she wiped away her tears. Reeve flashed her a soft smile as he reflexively took her hand and led her back toward the President's Office. Melissa blushed as she felt her fingers intertwined with his. She knew that he could feel her wedding band as he grasped her hand firmly as if she were the most precious thing in the world and for the time being, she felt like she was.

She did feel a bit self-conscious walking hand in hand with her husband whom she hadn't really seen or talked to in a year. They were supposed to be separated, but so many things have happened in the past few days she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore. She also didn't know what Reeve wanted whether he still wanted to be separated or if he was ready to start over again. A part of her hoped for the later and with that romantic inclination, she squeezed his hand just a little harder as they walked side-by-side.

The first thing Reeve saw when he entered the President's Office was a happy seven-year old girl with bouncy brown hair run up to him. It didn't matter that Elena and Rude were ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice or that ShinRa soldiers were lined up in the office protecting him. What mattered was that he and his family were safe and back together again. The world could have fallen apart or another Sephiroth could have been born, but none of that would have mattered to Reeve because the hazel eyes and joyous smiles of his family were the only things he cared about right now.

"Daddy!"

"Hey there princess! Have you been a good girl with Mommy?" Reeve bent down to lift his daughter up.

"Uh-huh. Mommy and I made some cookies for you. Auntie Elena helped me draw a picture and Uncle Rude is fixing Kate Sith," the girl said with a toothy grin.

"Really? I'll have to see what Uncle Rude is doing to Kate Sith later and how she got broken," Reeve taunted.

Sara merely giggled as she covered her mouth as if she said too much. "But do you want cookies Daddy? They're really yummy!"

"Of course Daddy wants cookies!"

Melissa watched with amusement as she saw Reeve sit down in his blue business suit and open up the container filled with cookies. She watched as he doted on his daughter and let her plop a cookie into his mouth. She knew that he probably had work to do as the President and meetings to attend. Elena and Rude had already warned her that she might not have much time to speak to Reeve once he arrived because of his position, but there he was sitting on the nice plush carpet eating cookies with his daughter. They both looked like they didn't have a care in the world.

For a moment, Melissa was almost fooled by that illusion as she continued to watch her husband play with her daughter. She knew how the world was practically on Reeve's shoulders. She knew that he had a lot of responsibilities to uphold and probably didn't need to be held up by Sara and herself. But despite that he was there sitting with his daughter and biding his time eating cookies like a good father. It was a touching scene she never imagined would unfold under these dire circumstances. Melissa wanted nothing more than to stop time in its tracks and watch the interaction between father and daughter.

"Mommy, we only have two cookies left," Sara gazed at her mother questioningly.

"Oh no! I guess we're going to have to make some more for Daddy, aren't we?" Melissa kneeled beside her daughter as she stroked her hair.

"Daddy, eat the last two cookies. Mommy and I can make some more," Sara insisted as she tugged on her father's sleeve.

"Whatever you say princess," Reeve smiled as he turned to Melissa. "The cookies are delicious."

Melissa whispered a 'thank you' to Reeve as she stroked her daughter's hair. A flash of gold caught her eye as she suddenly noticed the gold band worn on his left hand as he reached for the last cookies. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as she held her hand close to her chest. _Does he still love me after all this time?_ She missed being a family with Reeve by her side. Watching him brought back feelings of nostalgia she had forgotten were so pure and blissful. Now she wished for things to move forward so she could make amends with the man she fell in love with and probably still loved.

_(break)_

Cid and Barret shifted their gaze from the blueprints of Old Midgar to the map of the Mythril Mines as they gazed back and forth between the wall and Thomas with headlamps strapped to their heads. Barret tapped the rock with his metal arm and rub his chin pensively with his good hand. Cid was fiddling with a pencil in his mouth, desperately craving a cigarette he couldn't have because of Barret's warning about possible flammable gases in the mines. Cid thought it was a ploy to get him to quit smoking, but the pilot didn't want to take any chances.

"You sure this is it?" Cid asked as he looked at the wall.

"According to the map, I'm positive," Thomas sighed.

A few miners chuckled as they watched Cid and Barret grill the young executive. Thomas tried his best to look confident, but he wasn't accustomed to convincing anyone of his architectural skills. He didn't think that they could read blueprints, but he learned quickly that there was more to Cid Highwind and Barret Wallace than he could fathom.

"I don't know, if we're supposed to dig here, it's gonna take a lot of work. That there is solid Mythril: harder than rock and stronger than steel," Barret said as he tapped the wall.

"Yeah, but it'll pay for a week's worth of food and a night's worth of beer!" a random miner yelled.

This elicited a few cheers as the miners didn't seem to mind raking in a bit if extra money while helping out the greater cause.

Cid ignored the miners as he looked at the wall curiously, "Hey Red! Can you sniff this hunk of rock out and see if it jives with what the kid is sayin'?"

"It's difficult to tell what is beyond this slab of mythril, I can't quite smell anything because of the metal. There is something I sense, but I can't quite describe the smell. It's almost like the smell of a Midgar Zolem," Nanaki answered uneasily.

"Midgar Zolem? You coulda told me you smelled ass for all I care as long as there's something behind there, we're diggin'. Barret, what do those rugrats behind us gotta do before we dig a hole in this motherfucker?"

"Well, since we're dealing with mythril, I'd say we'd better dig around it. Rock is gonna be easier to dig and besides, mythril is better to sell in larger chunks than small pieces," Barret said as he rubbed the mythril.

"What's your assessment kid? That sound okay to you?"

Thomas quickly looked at the map to the mines as he formulated his answer, "If we dig at a forty-five degree angle and hoping that the mythril slab isn't large enough to extend well into Old Midgar, we should be fine Mr. Highwind."

"Ya hear that Barret? Let's hit this shit!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Move on in now boys, you know what to do," Barret yelled back at the miners. "Remember, try not to scratch the goods, it ain't precious if it's got scratches."

"Wait Captain! I have a funny feeling about this spot," Shera's voice echoed above the murmur of the miners.

"Something funny? What the fuck's so funny about this spot?"

"It doesn't seem right. The angle at which this wall is facing doesn't look like it faces Midgar to me. Also, what Nanaki smelled doesn't sound like the inner workings of an underground city, but something else . . . like a pocket of gas."

A few hushed whispers flew around the cave as miners stared wide-eyed at the wall as the words 'invisible death' and 'poison' permeated through everyone's ears.

"Shera's got a point there. We don' wanna hit no gas pocket otherwise this shit will poison us or worse, blow-up," Barret spoke with concern.

"But according to these maps, that should be the spot where we dig," Thomas pointed to the wall.

"I know that's what your calculations say, but it bothers me that this slab of mythril hasn't been mined out of this wall. You would think that someone would have already taken this slab of metal since it's in one of the main crossroads of this mine, but it's untouched. That doesn't seem right to me. Its as if the miners knew that it was too dangerous to dig it out," Shera pondered.

"I don't know why the miners haven't dug out the mythril here, but I've checked my work several times and this is the spot I get."

"Shera, double-check the kid's work. Tell me what you think."

"Right away, Captain."

Shera quickly adjusted her glasses as she took the maps from the reluctant Thomas. The female engineer flipped back and forth between the two maps as she scratched her head every now and then. Everyone eyed Shera anxiously as she continued to stare at the maps and then at the walls of the mine.

Private Pete leaned over to Thomas as they both watched Shera work, "you sure you have the right spot?"

"I'm positive. I don't know what the big deal is."

Shera fiddled through her pockets and pulled out a pencil as she jot down a few numbers on a scrap piece of paper. After checking and then double-checking her work, she then proceeded to draw and 'x' on the map of the mines. Shera made one more check before she finally handed the maps back to Thomas.

"There. This is where we should dig," Shera pointed at the 'x.'

Thomas looked at the spot and scrunched his brow in confusion.

"This spot is a hundred yards away! How did you calculate this?"

"Well, I was looking at the blueprint of Old Midgar and noticed . . . ," Shera timidly rested her finger on a spot on the blueprint. "I noticed that the scale looked slightly off and realized that the scale used in making these blueprints was the type of scale utilized over a hundred years ago. It's not the same scale that we use in our modern techniques so I had to do a few conversions to make sure that everything was uniform. Essentially, the spot you picked out had the wrong scale to it so it was wrong."

Thomas looked at the calculations Shera did and then looked back at Shera before falling down on his knees in a defeated slump. Everyone looked at him with concern as Shera knelt beside him trying to see if the young executive was okay.

"It was just a common mistake really, we at least caught it before it was too late," Shera tried to reassure him.

"Yeah, don't worry about it buddy, we know where we need to dig now and that's all that matters," Pete said as he put a hand on Thomas's shoulder.

"I am such a dumbass," Thomas shook his head as he stood back up. "I owe you an apology Ms. Shera."

"Just Shera is fine, thanks. And your apology is accepted."

"Hey, kid! Are Shera's calculations good?"

"Yes they are Mr. Highwind. We should move further down in the mine if we want to be at the right spot."

"Alright, you heard the man, let's roll!" Cid motioned with his hands.

Everyone began to make the short trek further down the tunnel to reach the spot Shera marked on the map. Shera felt proud that she had helped divert a major mistake, but slightly embarrassed that it cost the pride of the young executive from Midgar. As she stole a glance over to Cid before moving the digging machine they had constructed, she couldn't help but catch him wink at her as if he was also proud of her. Shera was thankful that she was actually doing the right thing this time around rather than messing everything up. Maybe her luck had changed for the better and Cid would notice her? _One thing at a time Shera; first, let's get the Captain's respect then we'll think about him romancing you, as if that'll ever happen._

Private Pete shuffled along with the rest of the crew as Thomas buried himself in the maps checking and double-checking Shera's work. The buzz of his radio drew his attention to the device clipped to his belt.

"Private Pete reporting."

_"Private Pete, this is General Matthews in Junon. Is Mr. Wheeler still with you?"_

"Yes he is sir!" Pete said with authority.

_"Good. I want you to keep him in your sights at all times. Keep this confidential, but there was an assassination attempt on President Reeve earlier this morning and we think that Thomas Wheeler along with Eric Rivers and Chris Johnson are all targets."_

"Is the President alright?" Pete whispered.

_"Yes he is. Though one brave soldier who honorably took the bullet for the President didn't make it. We haven't caught the assassin yet so be on alert and make sure you don't lose sight of Mr. Wheeler."_

"I'll stick to him like glue General, sir."

_"Good, and report if you notice anything suspicious. In the meantime you are assigned to remain with Mr. Wheeler until further notice."_

"Understood. I won't disappoint you, sir!"

_"I certainly won't tolerate failure. General Matthews out."_

Pete put the radio back on his belt as he quickened his pace to catch up with Thomas. He eyed everyone around him to see if there was any suspicious miner who was actually an assassin in disguise. Pete's job had suddenly gotten more interesting as he unconsciously grinned. Thomas was still working on reading the map to determine where the new spot was located and completely ignored the things around him. _He's lucky to have me around, who knows where danger is lurking._

"Hey Thomas, guess what?"

"What's up Pete?"

"I'm going to stick by you as if you were my new girlfriend," Pete with a little too much enthusiasm.

Thomas blinked as he tried to process what Pete said, "That's great Pete. Thanks, I guess."

"Come on buddy, let's work on trying to find where the 'x' marks the spot," Pete put his arm around Thomas.

The young executive nervously continued his walk as he stared at Pete's arm as if it were a spider on his shoulder. _What did I get myself into?_ He sighed as he continued to follow the map and then finally found the right spot where they should begin digging.

"Ok, now this is definitely it!"

"That's what you said last time kid. Shera!" Cid pointed at the map.

The mousy woman adjusted the light on her headband and glanced back and forth between the map and the wall several times before nodding her head in agreement.

"This is it Captain!"

"Good job you two. This wall looks like it'll be easier to dig up than the last one. Hey, kid! Mark up the wall to show where we can dig and how wide this tunnel needs to be. Shera, get that damn machine up here."

Pete stifled an amused chuckle as he watched Thomas frantically crunching numbers and measuring the wall to mark the width of the tunnel. It was as equally amusing watching the small-framed woman pulling the white sheet off of a large machine with numerous pick-axes attached to the front of it. The machine resembled a metallic praying mantic with too many arms. The miners all looked at the machine with mild confusion and ridicule. It was the most repulsive thing to have entered the mines and everyone laughed in agreement.

"What in the hell is that piece of shit?" a hefty miner named Dirk shouted.

"That, my meat-headed friend, is a device that's gonna help dig," Cid said as he glared at the larger man.

Dirk looked up and down at the machine scrutinizing the contraption, "You saying that this hunk of junk can work better than any of us men here?"

"I ain't saying it's better, just faster. We gotta deadline and if you can't get it through your egotistical fat head that there are lives to save, than you better start using that tiny brain of yours and consider it," Cid jabbed his finger into Dirk's chest.

Shera watched the exchange with nervous anger. She and Cid had worked almost all night trying to make the machine so there was a guarantee that they could make the dig to Old Midgar as quickly as possible. The invention was Cid's idea and Shera hated hearing the insults the large miner was throwing at him.

"Listen, Highwind. You don't know jack-shit about mining and though Wallace used to be a miner, he's never mined here before. I know these mines like the back of my hand and that crap you pieced together and call a machine probably won't work two seconds in this mine," Dirk seethed as he kicked the machine.

That had been Shera's last straw. She was used to abuse and verbal onslaughts by Cid. But no one had the right to abuse her Captain or what he worked so hard to create. So with a simple push of a button, Cid's invention came to life as the back end of one of the pick-axes rose up reducing Dirk to a lump of curses and pain. All the men in the mine reflexively reached for their own crotches after watching Dirk's attack by the hideous machine.

"Shera! What the fuck did you have to go and do that for?" Cid said, still wincing from Dirk's unfortunate attack.

"But Captain, he was insulting you and holding up the dig," Shera paled.

"Damnit Shera, all men are joined through the testes!"

She knew that she had messed up again. It always happened and Shera was always the one at fault for trying to do her best, but falling short of being entirely successful. Tears threatened to spill, but Shera sniffed them back knowing that crying would only make the situation worse.

"I'm sorry Captain. I'll just take my leave and let you all do your work."

Cid watched almost helplessly as Shera pushed past the hefty miners and volunteers as the last flutter of her white lab-coat disappeared into the crowd. His shin still bore the bruise Tifa had given him when she threatened him to be nicer to Shera and he was trying, but his own pig-headed nature sometimes got the best of him. Cid Highwind knew that if he let Shera run off without apologizing and if Tifa were to hear any wind of that, he would have more than a simple bruise on his shin.

"Barret, take over and get these guys started on the dig. Also, get that guy over there some ice, he's gonna need it," Cid shouted before he ran after Shera.

The light on his headband bounced at an uneasy pace, matching the mood of Cid as he ran past miners. Shera had a lead on him, but he knew he could catch up and he had to if he was going to find her and apologize. He also knew that she was probably going to rant about how it was all her fault so Cid was ready to say 'I'm sorry' and 'It's not your fault,' more times than he ever has in his lifetime.

The bobbing ray of light finally caught the white glare off of Shera's lab-coat. Cid inched forward pushing and shoving miners aside, ignoring the curses that were flown at him. If it were another time, another Cid, he would have let her run off and paid no mind to the slow emotional deterioration of his faithful mechanic. But barely saving the world from destruction had changed him and Cid knew that time was a precious commodity that you had to treasure before it slipped through your fingers.

"Shera!"

The woman still ran as if she didn't hear his shouts.

"Shera, slow down woman!"

She didn't have to slow down as her own clumsiness finally caught up with her and she tripped falling down in a heap of tears. She didn't notice when she had finally ran far enough out of the mines where there were no more miners or volunteers lining the tunnel walls. She also didn't notice the familiar scent of cigarette smoke or the calloused hand gently resting on her shoulder.

When she finally did notice, her body tensed in anticipation of the angry words that she was accustomed to hearing. _Why did you follow me? Why can't I ever be good enough for you?_ She didn't want to turn around and face him yet. Cid was the only man who could reduce her to an emotional mess because of the mistakes she made in extinguishing his dream. _But what about my dream?_ Was it too much to ask for one compliment or even a pat on the back from the man she admired?

"Shera, you alright?"

Shera nodded her head, not wanting to turn around and have him see her in a moment of weakness. She knew the Captain hated sissies who couldn't take constructive criticism, albeit Cid's comments were more criticism than constructive.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Shera blinked and turned to face Cid wondering if she really heard him correctly.

"It wasn't your fault for what happened. The guy had it coming and you did what you had to do. I'm not saying it was the best thing, but he needed to shut-up," Cid said gruffly.

"Thanks, but I know I should have stayed at Elmyra's house like you suggested this morning. You could have handled it without me. It was my fault Captain."

_Good job Highwind, way to sound sincere,_ Cid thought as he tried to retrain himself from shaking Shera and repeating how he was sorry until she accepted it.

"No, Shera, nothing was your fault. Everything you've ever done since I hired you has been right. None of us are perfect and I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to ya," Cid said as slowly and softly as possible.

Shera held her breath and swore that she must have been dreaming. Cid Highwind, her Cid, was sincerely apologizing to her.

"I was wrong Shera. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I can. I never thought you could forgive me though," Shera said shakily.

"There's nothing you need to be forgiven for cause you were right. I'm just a poor fool who can't take the blame for anything."

"You're not a fool Cid . . . . I mean Captain."

"Cid's fine Shera. You've known me long enough to call me by my first name."

"Um, alright . . . Cid. I've just gotten used to calling you Captain all those years."

"All those years, huh?" Cid silently mused. "How long have you been my mechanic?" _How long have I treated you like shit?_

"Five years," Shera said meekly. _Five years of wanting something more from you than you would ever be willing to offer._

"You've been with me for five years and all that time I've given you nothing but hell. Anyone else would have left me by now. Why did you stay?" _Why did it take me five fucking years to notice that there's a good lookin' gal behind that white coat and glasses._

Shera didn't want to tell him the truth, but she wasn't a good liar either, "Because I felt obligated."

"Obligated to what? I know your hiding something from me. Just tell me, I won't bite your head off if you tell the truth," Cid said trying his best not to raise his voice like he usually would.

"I was obligated to you because of what I did. I destroyed your dream."

"You didn't destroy it Shera, I did," Cid said sadly.

"No, I was the one that made you—"

"Shera listen! If you hadn't tried to fix tank No. 8, I would have flown up into the sky foolishly and probably would have blown my sorry arrogant ass up to smithereens. I hate to admit it but you were right the entire time: tank No. 8, the mission, everything. I couldn't have fulfilled my dream dead. Shera, you . . .you saved my life and my dream. I just never had the courage to admit that until now . . . and I'm sorry."

"Cid," Shera sobbed.

It was the first time she felt proud of her actions and that fateful decision to correct tank No. 8. She didn't feel any hesitation from Cid when she put her arms around him in a tearful hug. Everything felt better in his strong grasp that she wished she could hug him like this all the time. But Shera knew that Cid was only forgiving her, not confessing pent up feelings of love and affection. She doubted that it would ever happen, but then she doubted he could ever forgive her for destroying his dream. A small seed of hope was planted in Shera's heart as she held her Captain close to her.

"You think you can get back to work on the machine, or do you want to head on back to Elmyra's?"

"Do you want me to stay?" Shera sniffed.

"Only if you want to."

"Yes, I want to stay here with you and see this through until the end. I'm not going to leave your side unless you want me to."

"That's my girl," Cid smiled as he wiped away a few stray tears. "Come on, let's get you off of the ground."

With Cid's help, Shera got back on her feet and tried to compose herself, dabbing away at her red swollen eyes. She didn't want to make it obvious she had been crying. There was no room for that when she had to prove herself and their invention to a group of experienced miners. If she hadn't had Cid's support, she probably would have run off back to Elmyra's. However, her Captain was there by her side and she knew he was going to fight for her. There was nothing to fear anymore. _Now if I can just find the courage to tell him how I feel_.

Cid waited until Shera was ready to head back down into the mine. She was a much stronger woman than she gave herself credit for and Cid was amazed he hadn't realized this before. Cid really regretted all those years of ignoring and ridiculing her because Shera was a wonderful woman.

"You know, you're an alright girl Shera."

"Thank you, Cid. You're not so bad yourself," Shera blushed.

Cid's lips tugged up into a wry smile at the comment as he stood watching Shera adjust her glasses. It felt nice being complimented by an intelligent woman who was beautiful in her own special way.

The sound of laughter echoed through the mines as Cid wondered what Barret was doing with the miners. It wasn't until he heard the sounds of people mocking kissing noises that he realized his conversation with Shera had echoed through the entire mine.

"Goddamn maggots!" Cid cursed as he gazed down the mine.

"We hear ya Highwind! Now get on over here after yer down with the kiss an' make-up," Barret's voice bounced off the walls.

"Come on, Shera. Let's whip those fuckers into shape!"

"Yes, sir!" Shera beamed.

She kept up with Cid's brisk pace keeping her head up as she brushed past the inquisitive stares of the miners. For the first time in her life, Shera was going to be working with Cid rather than fighting an emotional battle against him. Things were going to be all right from this day forward and Shera was glad to be by her Captain for it all.

_(break)_

The morning sun rose once more over Fort Condor, but this time rising to the somber mood of mourning. Three travelers could be seen biding hesitant good-byes to the victims of yesterday's attack. They were originally reluctant to leave, but the thought of Chaos doing this to another town was enough conviction for them to continue their journey.

"So are we headed up to Junon next?" Yuffie asked Tifa.

"No, we're going to Costa Del Sol."

"You mean the resort town Costa Del Sol?" Rufus intervened.

"Yes. Chaos was headed west last time we saw him and if he were in Junon, the ShinRa army has enough guns and ammunition to take care of him. Costa Del Sol doesn't have that sort of manpower so that's where we're going."

Rufus raised his eyebrows in surprise and admiration for Tifa's leadership skills. He didn't think that a barmaid from the slums could strategize and lead a group of rebels around. He wondered if she was a better leader than he was in his short term as President. He had led the country and practically the world for a month before the fiasco with John. There had been so many things to do as President and there are probably so many more things that need to be done. _I hope Reeve is doing better as President than I was._

"Oh Tifa! Do you think we could swim on the beach while we're there? All this saving the world business is putting a damper on my fun," Yuffie asked with a pout.

"Chaos is on the loose, the world is only beginning to rebuild and all you can think about is swimming on the beach?" Rufus asked condescendingly.

"Chill, city-boy! You haven't been hanging around us trying to kick butt but only a few days. Do you know how hard it's been for us to run around the world kicking Sephiroth's ass?"

"Hey, you hardly know what I've been doing before you met up with me."

"Oh, really? And what have you been doing? Sitting on your ass watching us on TV thinking, 'gee, I wish I could be more like AVALANCHE,'" Yuffie teased.

"I wasn't doing **that**! I was . . . well," Rufus hesitated, realizing he had gotten himself into a tight spot. "I was working in Junon."

"Doing what?"

_Damnit Yuffie, why do you have to press this issue_ "Well, I was working for the military," Rufus struggled with his words.

"The military? What were you, a messenger boy?"

"No! I worked with more people than that!"

"Like what? A cafeteria worker?" Yuffie laughed.

Tifa also laughed along with Yuffie as Rufus gazed at the two women with annoyance.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Rufus scoffed.

"Sorry about that. But if it makes you feel better, we won't be basking in the sun the entire time we're in Costa Del Sol. Just until Yuffie and I get a nice tan," Tifa said as she gave Yuffie a wink.

Rufus wasn't sure if Tifa was serious or not, but the thought that they were taking a break for some fun and sun was annoying him. He reconsidered his earlier musing about Tifa's leadership skills and realized that she probably wasn't as good a leader as he first imagined. He didn't think that AVALANCHE had time to go to the beach or even hang around Gold Saucer for extended periods of time while trying to chase Sephiroth. Surely, they didn't do that under Strife's command.

"Great, while you two are getting a nice tan, Chaos is going to go foraging for tasty little villagers somewhere."

"John, you've got a lot to learn about what it's like to be traveling constantly and fighting every day of your life. It's not like we aren't worried about Chaos, but after defeating Sephiroth and seeing what we saw at Fort Condor, I think we should take a break to get our minds off of things," Tifa huffed.

"What's next, doing go Gold Saucer and spending a day there to relax after getting your tans? Don't tell me you guys all went to Gold Saucer while you were hunting down Sephiroth," Rufus shook his head.

Yuffie's eyes lit up as she listened to their griping male companion. The young ninja looked at Tifa with a pleading look hoping she would also agree to a day at Gold Saucer.

"No, we're not going to Gold Saucer. Just a day at Costa Del Sol should be enough. And I'm not going to relax at Costa Del Sol just to get a tan. Our poor chocobos need some rest after running across the ocean. It's mainly going to be for them. Though, you'd be surprised how rejuvenated you feel after taking a break from traveling. I think this trip will be good for you as well. You seem so uptight right now. Just trust me, okay?" Tifa smiled.

Rufus was taken aback by Tifa's words. He hadn't really thought about when the chocobos were going to get a break and it was true that he was feeling stressed lately. Since he became President of ShinRa, Inc. free time was something he wasn't allowed. The last time he had time to enjoy himself was the night he learned about his father's death.

**_(flashback)_**

"Are you sure you want to do this Reno? You look pretty out of it," Rufus asked as he checked the blue-suit he was wearing.

"I'm positive. I really need this and I need someone with me," Reno said walking briskly with his shades down.

"And you're sure that wearing a Turk uniform is going to keep people from recognizing me?" Rufus sighed as he put on a pair of sunglasses.

"Chill, Rufus, no one is gonna mess with ya 'cause you got that on. Now hurry it up cause we're almost there," Reno spat.

Rufus shrugged as he followed Reno through the streets of Sector 6. He didn't know what compelled the Turk to suddenly call him asking to meet him in his room for something important. The only thing Rufus knew was that Reno looked extremely stressed. Rufus guessed it had something to do with AVALANCHE and how the terrorist group had somehow destroyed the support pillar to Sector 7 and killed thousands of people. He had read the news and guessed that everyone in ShinRa was on the edge because of their bold attack.

"Does Johnny-boy know the drill?"

"I told John that I would be out on business and to take over in my place until I get back. No one will know I'm gone."

"Good. I can tell it's gonna be a long night for me so you ain't going home til lunchtime," Reno said without his usual air of sarcasm.

Rufus kept quiet not wanting to ask why Reno had decided to drag him out to Sector 6 when he had a meeting with his father in the morning. The red-haired Turk walked around with this air secrecy mixed with heavy remorse. Reno finally stopped his brisk walk and motioned for Rufus to follow him down a dark alleyway.

"What's down here Reno?"

"Shhh! You'll find out soon enough," Reno flashed a smile.

Rufus cautiously reached for the gun in his pocket when Reno motioned to put it away. He raised his brow in curiosity as Reno knocked on a metal door and a small sliver of light poured out as someone behind the door pulled open a small window.

"What's the password?"

"Suck my cock."

Rufus shook his head certain that Reno was going to get himself killed, but reared back in surprise when the door opened as a flood of bright neon lights and music blared from the room.

"Come on," Reno motioned to him.

Rufus followed closely behind Reno as he looked at his surroundings. There were men laughing as they drank beer and women dancing on the tabletops of some tables. A long stage seemed to extend down half of the room where a long shiny pole stood out near the end of the stage. The smells of cheap perfume, cigarette smoke and spilled beer filled the rooms along with the neon lights and scantily clad women. Reno had taken him to a titty bar!

"Reno, this is what you called me up and said was urgent?"

"This is urgent. I need some booze badly. Rude couldn't come cause someone's gotta work since I'm supposed to be 'injured' and I couldn't ask anyone else."

"Won't I just . . . get in the way?"

"Hell no! Riches and bitches go together you know! 'Sides, I missed your birthday a few months ago so this is your belated birthday present: now hold that thought while I get us some drinks."

Rufus was glad he had some sunglasses to hide part of his face as he sat down at a table. He wished he had a ski mask so he could cover his entire face from the flush of embarrassment. But Rufus knew that there was no way out of this situation. A soft hand found its way along Rufus's shoulder as the rancorous smells of booze and perfume encircled his senses.

"Hey there handsome, want to have a little fun with me?"

The blonde-haired woman didn't even wait for a reply as she slipped herself between the table and Rufus's lap. She hardly had anything on and Rufus nearly puked at the sight of her face that was caked with so much make-up he wasn't sure if the woman even had a skin underneath it all. He tried to avert his eyes from her body, which was her only asset as her pert breasts and curvaceous hips were the type of things that could make any man shiver with lust.

"Sorry, I'm not interested," Rufus tried to push the woman off of him, not certain where to put his hands where they wouldn't send her the wrong signal.

"Oh, come on! I just want to have a little fun," the blond said huskily.

"Trudy! Get off the man! We're not here for whoring tonight," Reno said as he placed two glasses of dark amber liquid on the table along with a bottle of the same.

"Aw, you're no fun Reno," Trudy said as she stood up. "At least can I get his name?"

"It's uh . . ."

"It's Dick," Reno quickly countered.

"Dick? Oh, I love that name," Trudy purred. "Well, Reno, Dick. If you do feel like whoring, you know where to find me."

Rufus paled as the woman blew him a kiss and sauntered off a few tables away to sit on another man's lap who was more receptive to her advances. He visibly shuddered and didn't hesitate when Reno handed him the glass of liquor.

"Riches and bitches I tell ya," Reno smirked as he downed the drink.

"Bitch is definitely what she was. Did you see her face? She looked like a dog!" Rufus sipped the drink and coughed as he felt the burning sensation in his throat. "What did you get me?"

"Bourbon-whiskey. Grows hair on your chest," Reno pounded his chest as he poured another glass.

"I'm sure it does," Rufus said as he downed the entire glass, scrunching his face as he swallowed.

Rufus gasped as he breathed heavily and let the warmth spread through his body. It was harsh, but it did feel good.

"The night's still young, let's have another round," Reno said while pouring Rufus another glass.

_(Several shots and two hours later) _

"Barkeep, hit us with another bottle!"

"Reno, are you crazy! You practically finished the first bottle yourself!"

"Come on, lightweight! I know you can do better than that! Besides, this is make-up for missing your birthday."

"I think you've had enough. Barkeep, get the man a glass of water!" Rufus shouted as he tried to keep Reno from dropping the empty whiskey bottle on the floor.

"You're too kind. You're way too kind. So unlike that bastard you got for a Daddy, but then I'm not one to speak since I'm a bad Daddy myself," Reno slurred.

"Yeah, my old man's a real asshole . . . wait a second. You have kids?"

"Had and it was only one. At least, one I knew of," Reno lifted up his sunglasses to wipe his eyes.

It was the first time Rufus had seen him without his sunglasses all night and the first time he had seen the red rims around his eyes. Rufus thought that the redness was probably due to his inebriated state, but he could have sworn that Reno had been crying.

"What happened?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just pushed the button that dropped a huge fuckin' plate on top of her and everyone else in Sector 7," Reno said bitterly. "She was there. My little Mary was fucking killed because her own Daddy is a fuck-up!"

Rufus's jaw dropped as he listened to what Reno was telling him. Reno had pulled out his wallet and produced a picture of a happy little red-haired girl with a missing tooth. The Turk showed it to Rufus as he sniffed back a few unshed tears.

"She was going to be five in a few months," Reno said staring at the photo before shoving it back into his wallet. "Not like any of that matters anymore."

He finally knew the truth about what really happened with Sector 7. His father and the news had told him that AVALANCHE was the one to blame for the plate falling. It was the perfect lie and deception to give the world since the terrorist group already had a bad name. Rufus didn't think that his father could commit such an atrocious act, but his father was capable of anything, even lying to his own son.

"It was my father, wasn't it?"

"No fuckin' shit!" Reno slammed the bottle onto the table. "Hey, barkeep! Where's my booze?"

Rufus buried his face into his hands realizing why Reno was so adamant on drinking tonight. The Turk needed to drown his sorrows in alcohol and Rufus didn't blame him one bit.

"I'm sorry. If it had known what he was going to do, I would have tried to stop it."

"You couldn't have stopped it even if you had known. Your Daddy woulda had you killed and he probably would have asked me to do it," Reno spat.

The bartender finally came with a new bottle of whiskey and two glasses of water as he grabbed empty bottle from Reno's limp hand before it fell on the ground. Rufus didn't hesitate to uncap the bottle and pour two shots as his hand shook, spilling some of the liquor on the table. Reno quickly took his shot as Rufus followed suit slamming his glass on the table.

"You know what's funny?" Reno put his head on the table as he gazed at Rufus over the rim of his sunglasses with puffy red eyes.

"What?"

"Your Dad and I aren't that different, ya know? I mean he's willing to kill his own son while I killed my little girl. I'm a heartless, fucking bastard," Reno spat as he put the bottle to his lips and chugged.

Rufus watched with a tinge of guilt as Reno chugged the liquor. The Turk was hurting emotionally. It was painful to see the man who always carried himself with an air of nonchalant confidence crying both inside and out that his sunglasses couldn't even hide the tears that he probably didn't even know he was shedding. Mainly, Rufus felt ashamed he was born to a man who would sell his first-born son to the devil if it would give him more money and power.

"Reno, if you were a heartless bastard, you wouldn't be sitting here drowning your sorrows in whiskey," Rufus said solemnly.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Thanks man. I hope you don't mind if I say that your father was a real dick-head. If I weren't in the Turks . . . if I weren't in the Turks I'd . . .," Reno faltered. "Fuck man. I'd probably be dead before I got a chance to get a hit on your Dad. Either that or too flat broke to give a shit."

Rufus knew it was the truth. He didn't want to admit that he had silent musings and fascinations of people killing his father. However, most people who hated ShinRa didn't have the skills or money to pull off a successful assassination. They would have to wait until the President found his end some other way.

"Do you think I woulda been a good Daddy?"

"I think you would have. I mean, certainly no guy would ever want to hurt the daughter of a Turk," Rufus tried to reason.

"Yeah, I would kick any guys ass that tried to harm my baby-girl," Reno motioned wildly as he flung the bottle of whiskey around.

Rufus sighed as he felt the urge to take another shot. He never knew the appeal of strong liquor until now. Just as Rufus found a way to pry the bottle out of Reno's hand, a small commotion started in one corner of the bar. The patrons of the bar were shouting and the television was turned up all the way while the sleazy jazz music was turned off.

"Hey, what's with all the noise?" Reno whined.

"It's the news! They say that President ShinRa's dead!"

Reno paused as he put his hand to his ears with perked interest, "Say that again for me buddy."

"I said, that President ShinRa's dead! Apparently he finally got what he deserves!"

Rufus sat shocked as he watched the television screen. He had heard the bar patron relaying the news and was watching the blurbs on the screen as the words were slowly being processed. His father was dead.

Reno had somehow gotten out of his chair and was drinking a toast with all the other bar patrons for the death of his father. The Turk sloppily poured Rufus another drink before taking the rest of the whiskey bottle to his lips.

"It's a good thing you're out with me tonight, huh?" Reno smiled.

"Yeah, good thing," Rufus said, still shocked by the news.

"Ding dong, the dick is dead. Which old dick? The big fat dick! Ding dong, the big fat dick is dead!" Reno belted out.

Soon the rest of the bar joined in with Reno as they all sang a joyous tune. Rufus still sat staring at the shot of whiskey that Reno had poured for him and tried to sort out his feelings. He wasn't overjoyed like he thought he would be. He wasn't even remorseful; at least he didn't feel like it. He was just numb.

Staring at the shot of whiskey and listening to Reno's singing certainly didn't help Rufus's mood. He lifted the glass up and toasted to no one in particular feeling that his father was at least owed a bit of gratitude for bringing him into this world. The question was whether or not Rufus was going to miss him now that he was gone.

"To the worst father in the world," Rufus whispered before downing the shot.

Rufus turned his attention to the television again and read the blurb on the screen as the news poured in about his father's death. A sudden realization dawned on Rufus as he sat with the empty shot glass in his hand, as he started wide-eyed at the television.

"Oh fuck!"

"Dude, what's up?" Reno said as he lazily put his arm around Rufus's neck.

"I'm the President now."

**_(end flashback)_**

That was the night where Rufus ceased to worry about himself and began to worry about the fate of ShinRa, Inc. and the world. He hadn't even had time to really mourn his father's death. He didn't love his father like a son should, but he did feel somewhere in his heart that he missed him.

"When was the last time you had time to relax?" Tifa asked.

"Probably over a month ago when I went drinking with Reno," Rufus accidentally slipped out.

"You mean, Reno of the Turks, Reno," Tifa said venomously.

Rufus realized his mistake as soon as he heard the tone in Tifa's voice. He knew he had to think of something to say, but couldn't tell her the entire truth.

"Yeah, I take it you don't like him," Rufus laughed uneasily.

"Well, I think Reno's hot. It doesn't matter that he's a Turkey or not, he's really cute," Yuffie beamed.

"This is the same guy who dropped a plate on Sector 7 killing hundreds of people. I can't believe you think he's cute," Tifa sighed.

"But he is. I mean, look at his body. Wouldn't you want a piece of that?"

"No! I think that's disgusting. It's bad enough thinking that we're working with the Turks to help rebuild, but at least they're over with Reeve pestering him rather than here with us."

"Oh, come on Tifa. The Turks aren't that bad. They saved my life from that grossness, Corneo. Oh! Maybe we could double date! I mean, I could be with Reno and you could be with Rude. You know he has a crush on you," Yuffie grinned, trying her best to get a rise out of Tifa.

"Oh please! That's almost as worse as saying I should date Rufus ShinRa!"

Rufus stiffened as he heard his name and he bit down on his lip to keep himself from saying anything. Slowly as he was listening to Tifa and Yuffie gossip, Rufus's face was turning red with a mixture of embarrassment and agitation.

"Well, Rufus isn't that bad looking," Yuffie thought.

"I wouldn't know. Every time I've gotten close to him he's tried to kill me or stare at my breasts. It was like he was talking to them the entire time he tried to interrogate me in Junon. I wish I had the chance to kick the pervert in the balls," Tifa seethed.

"Tifa, how many guys are there who _don't_ stare at your boobs?" Yuffie joked. "Besides, he might actually be a nice guy and the type to save your life when you're in trouble, like Reno!"

"I highly doubt Rufus is capable of saving lives, I mean . . . he was such a horrible President. Why are you trying to defend him and Reno? All they care about is themselves. Rufus and the Turks are nothing but big bullies trying to fatten their pockets. Both of them have spilled innocent blood for money and power. People's lives were in danger because of them."

"As if AVALANCHE, hasn't done that as well?" Rufus finally shouted fed up being the topic of their scathing conversation.

Tifa and Yuffie both jumped at his sudden outburst and stared at him with wide-eyes.

"Do you have any idea how many lives were lost during the mako-reactor bombings or families broken because of AVALANCHE killing ShinRa soldiers? As it stands, I think the Turks and ShinRa, Inc. are probably on par in terms of the number of innocent victims they've harmed so unless you two have something constructive to say about that, then shut-up!"

Rufus trotted along ahead of the group not really wanting to listen to either one of them. He was pissed. He knew that ShinRa wasn't really a citizen friendly company, but it had been his company and everyone learned to listen to ShinRa under his aggressive rule. He thought that the ShinRa stigma had diminished while he was in office, but Tifa's hurtful words clearly showed that not everyone agreed with how he ruled.

He was disgusted with himself. He swore to change things when he became President. He didn't want ShinRa to be a power-hungry corporation anymore, but he also had the resolve to eliminate Sephiroth. Those two main goals conflicted with one another and the outcome only spelled more distain for the company. Rufus stared at his hands and wondered how many innocent lives were killed because of the decisions he made as President. _Perhaps I never should have been President. I probably was a horrible leader. What will the world think of Rufus ShinRa after history writes about this event?_

* * *

A/N: You guys didn't actually think I'd kill off Reeve now, did you? Just to let you all know, next chapter we will be meeting an unsavory character by the name of Jagger Grens. Who is he and what will he be doing in the story? We'll you will have to wait and see. I hope everyone has a Happy Holidays and ring in 2005 with a bang! 


	19. Friends and Enemies

**Chapter 19: Friends and Enemies**

Rufus rode ahead of the group, trying his best to ignore the inquisitive pair of eyes behind his back. They had ridden together in silence for several minutes after arguing and Rufus had no intention of talking to either of the girls. He kept his eyes forward, trying not to listen to the hushed exchange taking place behind his back.

"How mad do you think he is?" Tifa asked; her voice laced with worry.

"Gawd, he looked totally pissed at you."

"I shouldn't have gotten too heated up like that. I completely forgot that he used to work for ShinRa."

"And that he's probably buddies with Reno who you insulted the most," Yuffie playfully chided.

"Yeah, that was pretty bad, wasn't it?"

"Oh, I'd say."

"Do you think I should apologize to him now? I mean. I'd hate for there to be any animosity between us."

Yuffie stared at the man's back noticing how stiff and rigid it was as he rode.

"Nah, let him cool off for a bit. I don't think he wants to talk to us right now."

"Gosh Yuffie, I feel so horrible. He was right about all those things he said about AVALANCHE. A lot of innocent people got hurt on account of our actions. We really thought what we were doing was right, despite the sacrifices along the way. When Cait Sith told Barret how many lives were lost because of the mako reactor bombings, I felt so guilty for being a part of AVALANCHE."

"Yeah, but didn't ShinRa also kill a lot of innocent people?"

"They did, but I think the main point is that when you compare AVALANCHE and ShinRa, we're really no different. Both of us were willing to put other people's lives in jeopardy to obtain our goals. People working for ShinRa really think that what they're doing is just as important as our fight for the planet."

"Wow, I never thought of it that way," Yuffie nodded as she listened to Tifa, glad to hear that the older woman was looking at things rationally.

"I really need to apologize. What do you think I can do to make it up to him?"

Yuffie grinned as a certain shimmer flashed in her eyes.

"Oh, I don't know . . . maybe you can take John for a stroll along the beautiful beaches of Costa Del Sol under the bright stars and moonlit night," Yuffie snickered.

"I want to apologize to him, not seduce him!" Tifa exclaimed a bit too loudly.

"Who said anything about seducing?" Yuffie said innocently.

"It was implied by your tone," as Tifa raised an eyebrow before slowly let her face fall. "You know, Cloud was going to take me for a walk along the beach when this was all supposed to be over."

Yuffie's face scrunched in concern as she watched Tifa's heartbreaking expression.

"You really miss him don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. He was a part of my life for so long, I feel empty not having him beside me. It's like a part of my reason for being is gone forever. I never got to say everything I wanted to say to him."

"Tifa, if it makes you feel better, I think he knew how much you loved him. I saw the looks he gave you when you weren't looking and though you may not know it, I think he loved you back."

"You think so? But I still never took the chance and told him when he was alive. I wanted to say it so badly; to hear him say those three special words, but now I won't ever see him," Tifa sulked.

Yuffie paused as she listened to the older woman. She knew what it felt like to lose a loved one, suffering through the death of her mother when she was nine. But Yuffie didn't know what it felt like to lose someone so close and special to you that life itself had no meaning if they were gone. Yuffie had seen Tifa's detached emotional state before in her own father. The young ninja remembered how her father had grieved over her mother's death and how much it changed him.

_(flashback)_

"Yuffie, I want you to be a big girl now and take care of your father. Do you think you can do that for me?" the frail woman whispered to her little girl.

Yuffie merely nodded as she knelt by her mother's bedside, "Yes Mommy."

"Godo, my love, how are you feeling?" the woman smiled weakly.

"I should be the one asking you that question, Mariko," Godo sat passively as he smiled.

"I fear that all of that won't matter in a bit. I feel so much slipping away from my fingers. Wutai needs your strength, I'm just sorry I won't be there to help you when you need it."

"You shouldn't worry about me. You have to save your strength to fight your cancer," Godo said wearily.

"My dear Godo, you try to hide the conflict of ShinRa's war against Wutai from me, but I can see the torment and anguish in your eyes," the empress smiled.

"You've always been able to see things like that. But do you know what I see? I see the young woman I met and fell in love with on the mountain paths of Da Chao. It was fate that brought me a beautiful angel into my life that day," Godo's faced softened.

"You're such a flatterer," Mariko coughed.

"Mommy, do you want me to get you some tea?" Yuffie hurried to her mother's side.

"That would be good sweetie," Mariko smiled.

Yuffie hurried out the room to tend to her mother's needs, brushing past the servants.

Mariko watched her young daughter leave the room before turning to her husband, "She doesn't know, does she?"

"No. I didn't have the heart to tell her that her mother was dying. She only thinks you're sick," Godo hung his head low.

"Well, you didn't lie to her, but you didn't tell her the entire truth. She is strong though. I know she will do well. I'm just sad that I won't be able to see her grow-up," Mariko wheezed.

"Rest my love. You need to save your strength," Godo held his wife's hand, noticing how cold it was.

Mariko shook her head slowly as she closed her eyes, "There's no reason to. It's only a matter of time now."

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you," Godo pleaded, rubbing her hands. "The fate that brought you to me is now taking you away."

Mariko smiled softly as she stared up at her husbands face. Instead of the cocky smile he usually wore; a thin frown of concern was present on his lips. She hadn't seen him so worried for her since the time she gave birth to Yuffie.

Yes, it had been fate that brought her handsome prince into her arms. He had always been her protector and she his emotional pillar. But now she knew when Wutai's need was dire, she would not be there for her country or her family. Mariko prayed that Leviathan would look after Wutai, but she desperately wished that she could live to see her daughter grow into a woman while she grew old with her husband.

She gazed up to stare at her husband's face trying to memorize the fine wrinkles and small details of his visage. The years have worn away from of Godo's strength and youthfulness, but he was still the man she loved. The room began to spin as Mariko felt her strength wane while she laboriously breathed. It was time. She gazed at her husband one last time and saw his face change as the wrinkles slowly melted away and Godo's eyes brightened until the youthful man she fell in love with appeared before her eyes.

"Kiss me," Mariko whispered.

Godo softly placed his hand on her forehead as he bent down to kiss his ailing wife: a kiss that would be their last. He saw her smile one final time before exhaling the remaining breath from her body. He first noticed how limp her hand was as he held it and how cold her lips were becoming. She was fading away and there was nothing he could do but watch and wait.

Yuffie quickly ran to her mother's bedside as she brought a cup of steaming hot tea.

"Mommy, I brought you your tea. Here is it," Yuffie obediently sat the cup near her mother's hand.

"Mommy? Here's your tea," Yuffie nudged her mother's hand.

The young princess noticed how cold her mother's hands were and shivered as she continued to shake her mother in the vain hope she would wake-up.

"Mommy? Please wake-up," Yuffie choked as tears began to stream down her face.

"Daddy, why won't Mommy open her eyes? I keep on trying to wake her up, but she won't wake up," Yuffie sobbed as she pulled on her father's sleeve.

Lord Godo ignored his young daughter's pleas as he stared blankly at his wife's prone form lying in front of him. She still looked beautiful despite her pale face and lips, something he had gotten accustomed to ever since his wife fell ill. But now he would have to become accustomed to never seeing her open her eyes or smile at him ever again. Mariko Kisaragi, the Empress of Wutai, was dead.

"Daddy, please wake Mommy up, she's not listening to me. Please," Yuffie sobbed into her father's sleeve.

Yuffie couldn't understand why her mother wasn't waking up to have the tea she brought. Her father had told her that she was sick with some sort of cancer, but the nine-year-old Yuffie didn't understand what cancer was and how deadly it was to her mother. Yuffie also didn't understand how her father's soul was slowly crumbling away as he stood silently mourning for his wife.

"Lady Kisaragi, please be calm. Your father needs some time alone with your mother right now," a woman's gentle voice spoke.

Yuffie looked up to see one of her parent's faithful followers, Chekov kneeling beside her. Feeling the need for affection, Yuffie wrapped her arms around the woman as she poured her tears and grief onto her shoulders. Chekov silently stroked the younger girl's hair knowing all too well that these wouldn't be the last tears Yuffie would cry.

"She's not waking up, is she?"

"I'm sorry my Lady, but she isn't."

"Mommy's . . . mommy's gone, forever?"

Chekov choked back her own tears finding it hard to tell the little girl the truth of her mother's death. The woman only found enough strength to nod her head at the young princess.

"Why didn't Da Chao or Leviathan save her? Weren't we good to them? Weren't my Mommy and Daddy good to them?" Yuffie pleaded.

"They were my Lady, but sometimes Da Chao and Leviathan can't spare everyone."

Yuffie shook her head unable to comprehend how the gods she believed in could let her mother die, "Then they're stupid! They don't deserve to be our gods!"

"Yuffie! You will not speak ill about Da Chao or Leviathan!" Godo spoke harshly, shocking both Yuffie and Chekov.

"Why not? They let Mommy die!"

"That's enough young lady! The gods know what's best for Wutai and if you know what's best for yourself, you will watch your tongue. Your mother loved the gods dearly and would never want you to speak ill of them, nor would I," Godo said angrily as tears streamed down his face.

Yuffie watched sadly as her father broke down in sobs and dropped his head on her mother's stomach. She didn't know how long her father sat there and cried, but Yuffie realized that she wasn't the only one who missed her mother. Her father missed her as well and probably lost more from her death than she would ever know.

_(end flashback)_

Yuffie looked back on that night and realized how much her father had changed since her mother's death. She first attributed it to the war against ShinRa causing him to lose all his hope and ambition, but later Yuffie realized it was her mother's death that caused him to lose his will to fight and the desire to lead.

Tifa and Cloud weren't married, but Yuffie wondered if Cloud's death was plaguing Tifa's mind as it had her father's. Yuffie was never able to talk to her father about how hard her mother's death was on him, but then she was only nine and didn't understand anything. Now she was sixteen and knew she had to help Tifa out of her emotional rut before she changed drastically like her father.

"Tifa, do you think you'll ever get over Cloud?"

"I don't know Yuffie. I hadn't really thought about any other guy except for Cloud. It's really hard to pick things up from scratch when you've been used to someone and known someone for so long. I think eventually I will, but it will take time," Tifa said softly.

"Oh . . . want me to help?" Yuffie asked enthusiastically.

"Thanks Yuffie, but I think I can handle this by myself," Tifa laughed. "Thanks for your concern."

"Um, okay," Yuffie said disappointed. _Too bad cause I'm going to help you anyway!_ "If you ever do get interested in a guy, you'll be sure to tell me right?"

"You'll be the first to know," Tifa smiled.

Rufus's lips curled up into a fond smile as he listened to the girls talking behind him. He had tried his best to remain uninterested, but curiosity got the better of him and he had listened to almost every word of their conversation. He was glad that they still wanted to travel with him rather than kick him out of the group for insubordination. A smiled tugged at his lips as he thought about the desperation and truthfulness in Tifa's voice when she was talking. _At least she doesn't hate me._

The loud sputter of motorcycles shook the air around him as Rufus saw a group of men riding toward them. Most of the riders were drinking or throwing obscenities at each other as they rode forward, not having noticed the three travelers on gold chocobos riding in the opposite direction. All of the men sported a blood red band on their right wrists. Rufus could only guess that they were about to run into a biker gang and he didn't want Tifa or Yuffie to get hurt as he slowed his chocobo down to let the two girls catch up.

Rufus kept his eyes forward trying to ignore the bikers as they rode past on his right. He hoped that they wouldn't stop and taunt them because he wasn't in the mood to deal with hooligans. He noticed how Tifa and Yuffie crept closer to him also keeping their head forward and eyes straight ahead. They probably weren't in the mood for conflict either, hoping the biker gang felt the same way.

The three AVALANCHE members listened for the rev of the engines to fade away, but the engines only grew louder as Rufus noted the catcalls and whoops of insults thrown their way. One biker quickly rode up on Rufus's right side and swerved in front of him causing all three chocobos to stop, nearly throwing their riders off.

"Hey hot stuff, wanna ride with me?"

"Come on baby, show me some of that sugar!"

"Hey little girl, want to play with a grown man?"

The bikers had them surrounded as the loud machines startled the chocobos. Their riders could feel them shaking underneath as they looked angrily at the lecherous band of bikers.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Two fine looking ladies and their escort," a man with shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes stared back at them menacingly.

The man was obviously drunk as his hefty build swayed back and fourth on the bike. In fact, most of the bikers were drunk as they still drank cans of beer that were almost permanently affixed to their hands.

"It seems like you lucky ladies and you unlucky sir have run into the Red Riders," the man pointed at each of them as his gaze lingered on Tifa and Yuffie. "I'm Jagger Grens, head biker for the Red Riders!"

"Yeah, you tell 'em Jagger!" one of the bikers yelled.

Tifa and Yuffie both stared at the bikers coldly as they tried to ignore the wandering eyes of Jagger and his gang. They both knew that these men were dangerous as nearly everyone of them had the obvious signs of fighters or bar brawlers, especially their leader who could rival Barret in size.

"So what do you say ladies? Want to have some fun?" Jagger asked as he crept dangerously close to Tifa.

"I don't think the women are interested in street thrash like you," Rufus said as he rode his chocobo in between Jagger and Tifa.

Rufus could see the anger flash in the man's bloodshot eyes as he pulled out a baseball bat attached to his belt. The gasps and hoots of the other gang members echoed in his ears.

"You're going to wish you'd never been born you prick," Jagger said staring down at the much smaller man on the chocobo.

Rufus glared back at the man named Jagger as his ice-blue eyes pierced Jagger's hazel. The drunken leader's eyes scrunched in recognition as he kept his finger on Rufus.

"Do I know you?"

"I highly doubt it," Rufus raised an eyebrow perplexed at how this man would know him.

"Nah, you looking familiar somehow. Like some punk-ass turd I used ta beat up back in the slums," Jagger raised his voice as he hoped off his bike and ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair.

Rufus held his ground as the biker gang leader wobbled closer to Rufus to get a better look at him. Rufus also got a closer look at Jagger and noticed the distinct scar on his face that he mistakenly took for a cleft in his chin. Jagger's eyes were red-rimed and lazy as he stared up at Rufus on his chocobo.

"You gotta be him. You're Johnny! Johnny Adacus!" Jagger yelled enraged as he lunged for Rufus.

The other bikers took their leader's action as a cue for them to take action as fifteen drunken bikers tried to hobble off their bikes and pull out baseball bats or chains.

Rufus quickly swung his other leg over Mortius as he dropped his foot down squarely on Jagger's face and knocked the hefty man back. Not wanting to wait for the larger man to get up, he quickly grabbed his shotgun and knocked a few bikers out with the butt end as they came charging after him. Tifa did a back flip off Sabina as she punched and kicked any bikers that were close to her. Yuffie remained seated on Maru as she threw shurikens at any unlucky bikers within range.

Tifa and Rufus fought on the ground dodging baseball bats and chains while knocking out as many bikers as possible. Their two chocobos were now side-by-side kicking any unsuspecting biker with their long sturdy legs as Yuffie's chocobo Maru sat and preened herself. The fight was hardly a challenge to Tifa and Yuffie who took out the drunken bikers with ease.

Rufus wasn't having any trouble though his body was pumping with adrenaline as he blocked and countered, throwing a punch into someone's face. He had done combat training before with the Turks, but none of the training compared to being in a real fight. He could smell the blood, sweat, and vomit from his enemies as they were easily being taken out. Several men still tried to fight despite being knocked down to the ground a few times. Tifa and Yuffie both look disgusted as one biker puked on the ground in front of them before passing out in his own vomit.

An overly aggressive and foolish biker had come behind Tifa and grabbed her from behind. Tifa was about to elbow the man in the ribs but the man loosened his grip as the feeling of the barrel of a shotgun on his temple made him release her. The martial artist still felt the need to jab the man's ribs as she spun around and hooked the man's head with her foot sending him off to land in a painful heap on one of the bikes.

Jagger was lying on the ground with blood pouring out of his nose as a few members of the Red Riders groaned in pain. The rest of the bikers were passed out and bleeding from the wounds the three AVALANCHE members had inflicted. Jagger tried to stagger up as he focused all his attention on Rufus mumbling incoherently to himself.

"Let's get out of here," Rufus murmured as he watched Jagger glare at him.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Yuffie shouted back.

Tifa and Rufus mounted their chocobos and sprinted off as far away from the biker gang as possible, hoping that they wouldn't wake up anytime soon. The three chocobos were eager to follow their masters' stead as they glided along the grassy plains while the shouts and curses of the Red Riders faded in the distance.

"Well that was weird," Yuffie pouted.

"You can say that again. But it felt good to get some stress out," Tifa said as she flexed her fingers.

"Yeah, you can say that! Hey John! What did you think about your first fight on the AVALANCHE team? Not bad, huh?" Yuffie laughed.

"That was, pretty fun," Rufus smiled, still feeling high off of his adrenaline.

"You did pretty well out there. I didn't know you had any experience with hand-to-hand."

"Thanks Tifa. I had a bit of training when I was in Junon. It hardly compares to your skills, but it gets me by," Rufus smiled in embarrassment.

"I can help you polish them up if you want."

"Really?" Rufus gulped, giddy over the thought of getting closer to Tifa.

"Not a problem. Say, John? Do you know who that guy mistook you for? He called you Johnny . . . Ada-something or another. Do you have any idea what that was all about?" Tifa questioned innocently.

"I really don't know. The name doesn't sound familiar," Rufus said before it dawned on him. _Jonathan Adacus was John's name. That guy back there thought I was my half-brother!_

"Who knows who that dude was talking to, Tifa. After all, he was drunk off his ass," Yuffie shrugged.

"Yeah, it was a really weird run-in. I'm glad that we didn't have too much trouble knocking them all out. Hopefully they'll be too drunk to remember what we look like and won't follow us," Tifa sighed.

Rufus nodded in agreement as he pursed his lips in thought. He never knew that John had any enemies and didn't think that anyone would confuse him for his half-brother since John had been with him in Junon for the past eight years. One thing was certain; Rufus hoped he didn't run into Jagger Grens again. He didn't want to think of the punishment the larger man was going to inflict upon him, but he knew it had to deal with copious amounts of pain.

"Um, John?" Tifa asked shyly.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say . . . I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have gone off like that. I was being immature."

"It's alright, Tifa. I'm sorry for my little outburst."

"No, it was justified. I would have been upset if someone talked like that about AVALANCHE," Tifa paused. "You used to work for ShinRa and I wasn't considerate of that."

"Yeah, used to is a good way to describe that. I doubt I'll be able to go back."

"Why did you desert them? At least, that's what I assume you did," Tifa quickly added.

"Because they think I'm dead," Rufus blurted out.

Tifa quirked her eyebrows at his comment, "Let me guess, you escaped somehow after being ordered on a suicide mission."

"I guess that's one way to put it. You probably think I'm a real jerk or a coward now."

"No, I don't think any less of you. To be honest, I'm glad that you escaped rather than having to fight us. You are right though, there's a lot of blood on my hands, innocent blood. I'm positive that most of the ShinRa soldiers we killed had families and loved ones. We tried to let as many escape as we could, but their jobs were to fight us and so they fought."

"We were doing our jobs and you were doing yours. Your job happens to be a bit more righteous though."

"I guess you can call it that. But let's forget about all of that. It doesn't matter that you and I used to be enemies since we're both on the same sides now. I hope we can both be friends," Tifa smiled as she held her hand out.

Rufus smiled as he stared at Tifa's trusting eyes and took her hand, "Friends."

For a fleeting moment, Rufus wished that Tifa didn't wear her battle gloves constantly as he continued to hold Tifa's hand. Tifa seemed too engrossed in staring back to even notice as she was mesmerized by the shining life behind his blue eyes. They were so much like Cloud's, but so different. The pair stood there locked in each other's gaze oblivious to their surroundings as their chocobos marched at a matching pace.

"Aw, I wish I had a camera right now!" Yuffie cooed.

Tifa quickly withdrew her hand and flushed in embarrassment as she stared at the ground. Rufus also broke his hand away, but was content in letting his eyes rest on Tifa's face, which was slowly turning red.

"Hey John! Did you know that Tifa was going to take you for a walk on the beach?" Yuffie teased.

"Yuffie! I'm going to kill you," Tifa seethed through her teeth.

"Ha ha ha, catch me if you can Boobs! Last one to Costa Del Sol is a rotten egg!" Yuffie laughed as she kicked Maru into a full sprint.

Tifa quickly pushed Sabina into a full sprint as she chased the wily ninja. Rufus shook his head with a smile as he followed suit watching Tifa's short black hair bob in the wind as she chased Yuffie. He took a moment to look down at his hand as he thought back to a few minutes ago. Tifa had called him her friend, a word he hadn't heard said to him in a long, long time. Rufus closed his hand and smiled. _Yes, friends._

* * *

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual. I had such an enjoyable Christmas and New Years that my motivation to write is a little slow in the uptake this month. 


	20. Spooling the Threads of Fate

**Chapter 20: Spooling the threads of fate**

The room was tense as Reeve stirred some sugar and cream into a cup of coffee. They were waiting for the secretary to phone Chris and Eric before they could start. He had beenreunited with his wife and daughter for less than an hour before he had to attend a meeting to discuss the future of Midgar and the world. The Turks stood menacingly behind him while his wife and daughter sat close by within the perimeter of the Turks' invisible bubble of protection.

The new head of ShinRa's banks, Mr. Baker, sat nervously as he loosened his tie and stole passing glances over at his assistant. Next to him was General Matthews who sat rigidly as he looked over some papers. Melissa anxiously tapped her fingers on the large oak table as she kept her eyes on a peculiar spot that didn't interest her, but was more comforting than the tension in the room. Even the Turks were on the edge probably due to either lack of sleep, the recent assassination attempt, or both.

The only one in the room who didn't appear fazed by the built-up stress was little Sara who played with Kate Sith on the floor under the table. Reeve remembered that Sara had told him about Rude fixing her mechanical toy. He had forgotten to ask what sort of repairs were made and was slightly surprised that the Turk understood how to build electronics. Stealing a moment, he looked down underneath the table and smiled as he heard the whirring of gears as Sara moved Kate Sith around with her remote control. Sara smiled back and waved at her father as she continued to crawl on the floor.

"President Anderson! We have a connection."

"That's great Mrs. Smith. Eric, Chris? Can you hear me over there?"

_"Loud and clear Re, um, I mean Mr. President, sir!"_

"No need for formalities now Chris. I have in the room Mark Baker, General Matthews, and the Turks here so we can all update ourselves on the current situation. Let's start with you both."

_"Well, currently the evacuation efforts of able bodied citizens is going well. There are unfortunately not as many evacuees as we had hoped for so the housing in Old Midgar is still fairly crowded. The MPs have quelled any riots and currently our supplies are stable."_

"That's good to hear, Eric. How about the injured?"

_"According to the doctors, there are a few critically injured that are in need of more medical help than what the makeshift hospital down here can provide. There are some volunteer miners here working on trying to speed up the process of digging us out. Mr. Randy Lawson is leading a group of men down here with Eric's guidance."_

"Do you think we'll need to replenish supplies soon?" Reeve asked.

_"Probably in a week."_

"General Matthews. How are our supplies?"

"Not adequate enough. We've dwindled a large portion of our supplies when we sent the Manifest down with the 5th infantry division. Right now Junon's army is holding stable with what we have, but if we donate the same amount of supplies to support Midgar, Junon won't be able to support itself," the General sighed.

"I see. How about our finances?" Reeve turned to Mark Baker.

"Oh boy, I guess that means I'm up," Mark ran his hand through his hair as he picked up some papers. "As you can guess, the state of ShinRa's finances are in disarray since all of the banks in Midgar have been destroyed. Now the provisions provided in the Security Agreement and Operating Agreement do have instructions for building emergency funds to support the company in times of need so we do have emergency funds to work off of for the time being, . . ."

Mark nervously looked around the room as he felt everyone's eyes watching him waiting for his last remarks.

"And, well. You see . . . ShinRa's accounts are very peculiar in that they aren't split between private personal accounts and the business accounts and well," Mark breathed deeply. "We don't have access to ShinRa, Inc's money without the former President Rufus ShinRa's pass codes. The only financial resources we're running on right now are the emergency funds and that will probably last us about a month at the most, if we're frugal."

"Is that factoring in funds to purchase supplies for Midgar?" Reeve tensed.

Mark gazed down at his notes and stole a glance at his secretary Cathy who urged him to continue with a supportive look.

"I'm afraid that these calculations only deal with Junon's financial needs. If we were to factor in Midgar's finances, we're looking at depleting our supply of funds in two weeks."

"Chris and Eric, do you think we'll be able to get those citizens out of Midgar in less than two weeks?"

_"I'm not going to guarantee it, but according to what I've heard from Thomas in Kalm and Randy Lawson here, it could be done in two weeks. Though the hardest thing will be figuring out where all these people are going to relocate."_

"I agree. Junon is already filled to capacity with all the refuges that have been sent from Midgar. I can only imagine that Kalm is already being stretched to its limits. I think we're going to have to form a new town or settlement to temporarily house these people until they can figure out where to go," General Matthews proposed.

"We'll probably have to set up a camp outside of Fort Condor for when the refugees finally get out. I know the Fort's been hit pretty hard already with their attack from Chaos, but it's either there or the swamps and I'm not going to ask anyone to fight off a few Midgar Zolems to get some people across the swamps. Mr. Baker, do you know if we can get any financial assistance from Wutai or any of the other major nations?" Reeve asked.

_"We're currently getting donations of supplies from Dio at Gold Saucer and Icicle Inn. Talks haven't been established yet at Wutai, though we have received their support. Eric and I are going to continue any sort of talks from where we are, but there were a lot of places that were hit hard from the events leading up to Meteor that we're not sure how much assistance we can get from other nations."_

"Understood. Mr. Baker, is there any remedy for this situation?"

"Well, the only way to get full access to ShinRa's accounts is to either have the pass codes that only Rufus ShinRa knows, have proof of his death or wait a year from the date of his disappearance before a complete transfer of power is allowed."

"One year! Damn, I knew that the ShinRa's were control freaks but one fucking year!" Reno sputtered.

"Reno, unless you have some suggestions for how to find Rufus or save the citizens of Midgar, I suggest you reserve your complaints to yourself and remember to watch your language. My daughter is in the room with us."

"Sure, whatever boss," Reno shrugged.

"But since I have your attention now anyway, what is the status of your ongoing investigations?"

"Elena, the report," Reno haughtily bowed as he made room for his comrade.

Elena rolled her eyes as she stepped towards the table and held her report on her hands. Clearing her throat, she straightened up the papers before giving the Turks' report.

"Well, Mr. President. So far we have had several calls into the hotline with clues and even people claiming to be John ShinRa, Rufus ShinRa or any ShinRa for that matter, but all of those calls have been confirmed false and there have been no concrete leads to the whereabouts of former president ShinRa.

"We believe that Rufus ShinRa is still alive and in hiding or lost in the confusion of the events that have been happening surrounding Meteor. Though we do not have any leads as to where Rufus may be hiding, we're reasonably certain that he will eventually report to ShinRa or be found."

"That's good, and what about the assassins? Any leads as to who hired them?" Reeve interrupted.

"Well, sir," Elena shifted through her papers. "I hacked through the laptop of the assassin in Costa Del Sol and only discovered a posting that was made through an online BBS by someone with the handle 'The King.' Of course, that leads us to the strongest possibility that the post was made by someone in the ShinRa-King Organization. The most recent attack this morning was most likely requested by the same organization. I haven't found the request yet, but the request could have been made privately via email or telephone. Unfortunately, we have no leads as to who is leading the organization and making these requests.

"We've checked every record of citizens with the last name King, but there are over 1,000 names listed and with the current situation in Midgar, there's no telling where they are, if they're alive or anything for that matter."

"Hmmm . . . any clues or ideas as to where they'll strike next?"

"It's assured that they will continue to request assassination attempts on your life and possibly on, well," Elena coughed as she tilted her head towards Melissa and Sara.

Reeve nodded, "How about you General Matthews? Any leads?"

"None, sir. We still haven't caught the assassin from this morning though we're working diligently with the Junon police force to find the perpetrator."

"Good to hear. Elena, what threat do you think the ShinRa-King Organization is to ShinRa?" Reeve asked.

"Though the company isn't well known and has only recently appeared, it's apparent that they have the cutthroat nature to strike against yourself and the current administration. One probable threat is for them to try and assassinate your current executives who are leading Midgar. If the organization were to cripple Midgar's leadership and with you here in Junon, it would be easy for them to take over the city, especially if they are still in Midgar."

"Mr. President, sir, if I may," General Matthews interjected.

"Proceed."

"I've already assigned loyal soldiers in Midgar to protect Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rivers as well as Mr. Wheeler in Kalm."

_"General Matthews is correct. Chris and I have had constant protection so there's no need to worry about us over here."_

"Excellent foresight General Matthews. Chris and Eric, I still want you two to be careful and be wary of anything. Do we have any idea or thoughts as to how we're going to track down either Rufus ShinRa or the ShinRa-King Organization?" Reeve returned his attention to Elena.

"We're still weighing our options Mr. President, sir. And we were thinking—"

"Actually, I have an idea how to get the ShinRa-King Organization," Reno rudely interrupted Elena as he tapped his magrod on the oak table.

"Reno, I was about to tell everyone—" Elena huffed.

"Chill, Elena. This is something I just thought up so it's not in your papers," Reno waved his hand at his comrade to shoo her away.

"And what's your suggestion Reno?" Reeve asked.

"I think I might know who's leading the ShinRa-King Organization," Reno smirked.

General Matthews and Reeve both froze in place as they waited for Reno to mention their name, or any name that would give them an indication of who was going against ShinRa.

"The only problem is that I don't know where they are this exact minute. I have a feeling that they're in Junon but I'll need some time and a few days to scour through the city to pinpoint their location."

"You think they're in Junon? But how can you be so certain that they aren't in Midgar waiting to kill off Mr. Johnson or Mr. Rivers in order to lead a coup?" General Matthews asked as he stood up in his seat.

"You gotta think about it this way . . . ya see, the dude who's going around starting this organization is using some laptop, cellphone or something electronic and gadgety to send messages around to any and every assassin within pissing distance. Now last time I was in Midgar, which was this morning now mind you, they weren't providing any power to the common citizens to power up any of their personal belongings. It's really pissing off a lot of those spoiled teens on the upper plates since they can't talk to their friends on the phone no more, but that's when the entire 'Hey, let's leave for Junon cause we can and there's power and stuff,' plan that ole' Reevey here cooked up comes into play.

"The dude knows that he's gotta stay incognito otherwise he's toast so the best plan is to keep his means of secrecy and go to where there's an outlet he can use and plenty of hotels he can stay at to boot. Junon's about as big as Midgar and when you get all down to the nitty gritty, what's a more better place to start up a coup than where all the money is, am I right Mr. Barker?"

"Um, that's Baker," Mark corrected the smiling Reno.

"Barker, Baker . . . whatever. But you see what I mean?"

"Well, yeah. It definitely makes sense. All the banks in Midgar have been destroyed or abandoned and the ShinRa-King Organization has been trying to claim a stake at ShinRa's frozen assets," Mark answered thoughtfully.

"So, as I see it, I go undercover, find the culprit and then do my job as a Turk. Whadaya say?" Reno shouldered his magrod confidently.

The room was silent as Reeve readjusted his tie in agitation and Melissa sat rigidly rubbing her arms. No one wanted to ask what part of his job as a Turk he was referring to, but everyone knew it had to deal with either a bottle of whiskey or the death of the man behind the ShinRa-King Organization.

"Reno, I'll consider your request but let's move on to the topic of how to find Rufus ShinRa," Reeve gulped down some coffee to calm his nerves.

"Oh, I don't have any answers to that," Reno stepped back from the table. "Elena."

Elena glared at Reno daring him to make eye contact so he could see exactly how pissed she was. Her fingers were gripping the report so tightly in an attempt to contain her anger that her nails dug into the paper. Everyone in the room could see the ends tearing at the pressure the Turk was exerting on her report and everybody was grateful that they weren't on the receiving end of her wraith.

"Elena, if you could," Reeve sighed.

"Sorry Mister President. As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted," Elena venomously directed at Reno.

"Taking into consideration ShinRa, Inc.'s reputation as well as previous efforts to contact Rufus ShinRa through the guise, John ShinRa, we've determined that Rufus ShinRa will more than likely contact us in a few days. Mr. ShinRa has always been actively involved with current events and will certainly conclude that the corporation wishes for his safe return.

"We've considered broadcasting an announcement for the search of Mr. ShinRa, but fear that might jeopardize his safety. The ShinRa name isn't the most welcomed in this day and age so it is best to keep the media away from any news of Rufus ShinRa's disappearance until he is safely in Junon," Elena said between clenched teeth.

"Very well. General Matthews, do you have anything to add to that report?"

"No sir, Mister President. I've interviewed the guards assigned to who we thought was John ShinRa and none of them know where he went after he was released."

"Is there any other order of business that needs to be addressed?"

Everyone looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Alright then, I'd like do go ahead and adjourn this meeting for now. Reno, please stay behind so we can discuss your request," Reeve spoke with an agitated look on his face.

_"Understood. We'll keep you informed if there's anything important on our end here in Midgar." _Chris and Eric both said.

As everyone began to rise from their chairs and move out of the room, Reno felt a sharp sting on his bicep as he turned to meet Elena's angry face.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Elena seethed.

"Just doin' my job as a Turk. Why'd ya have to punch me in the arm? Damn woman, you've got a wicked punch," as Reno rubbed his arm.

"Don't you give me that shit! You know damn well why I hit you. You told me to analyze Black Adder's laptop, develop our strategy and write the report for today's meeting making sure that I take into account every option and then you pull that shit with me!"

"Elena, Elena, Elena. How long have you been a Turk again?" Reno sighed.

"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?" Elena spat.

"Everything! You still don't know how we work. You're green Elena, a sapling."

"But I'm still a Turk and Turks always stick together. You fucking left me at Costa Del Sol and now you're putting your ass on the line again!"

"Listen, who did Tseng appoint as leader of the Turks?" Reno said seriously.

Elena's eyes flared as she reared back to punch Reno again as he caught her fist before it made contact with his face.

"I saw that one coming," Reno whispered into her ear.

"That was a low blow Reno and you fucking know it," Elena breathed lowly.

Rude shook his head as he watched the argument between the two Turks. The stoic Turk silently chuckled as he watched Melissa lead her daughter quickly out the room with her hands over the little girl's ears. He knew that if he didn't intervene, the pair would tear each other apart in a few minutes.

"You know that if it were Tseng going off on this life-threatening job you wouldn't be yapping at me like some fucking prissy dog. You'd be lapping at my feet and hopping on my lap as if I had a bone for you that you really wanted," Reno fired back.

"You fucking prick! I should—ow! What the fuck?" Elena turned in time to see Rude pulled a syringe out of her body.

Her head started to spin as the effects of the sleeping drug quickly pumped through her veins. The last thing she saw before passing out was the toothy grin of Reno as she finally fell back into Rude's arms.

"Hey, thanks there buddy. I owe you one." Reno gave Rude a thumbs-up.

"You're gonna owe me big time once she wake's up," Rude grunted as he lifted Elena over his shoulders and left the room.

Reno snorted as he watched Elena be dragged away.

"Reno, your lack of charm never ceases to amaze me," Reeve sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey, what do you expect from me. I wasn't exactly brought up in charm school or anything like that," as Reno lit a cigarette.

"I know. But that's not my main concern right now," Reeve sighed. "I want to hear a straight answer from you now Reno. Are you planning on murdering the head of the ShinRa-King Organization?"

"Well, I'm not trying to find him so I can ask for his hand in marriage, that's for damn sure."

"Reno, I want you to be serious with me for a few minutes as I discuss this issue with you. I know what the Turks are accustomed to doing in the past for ShinRa, but I want to make something very clear."

"Let me guess," Reno held his hand up to silence Reeve. "You don't want me to kill him."

Reeve ran his fingers down his goatee as he nodded in compliance.

"I hear ya. So I guess you want me to do it the 'right way' and turn him in to the authorities."

"Yes."

"I'll see what I can do," Reno said as he walked towards the door.

"I mean it Reno. I'm not running this company on the same ill reputation that the late Augustus ShinRa embellished himself in."

Reno stopped at the door and turned to face Reeve as he took a long drag before finally responding, "I said that I heard ya and I mean it when I say that. Trust me, I'm going to do my job and I'll do it your way. After all, you're the boss."

"Boss by default. But if you're going to listen to my orders based on that, then I'm not going to complain. Stay safe, Reno."

"Yes, sir," Reno lazily saluted before leaving the conference room.

Reeve exhaled as he slumped down in the nearest chair to rub his temples. The past few weeks have been incredibly stressful and Reeve couldn't quite remember the last time he had a quiet moment to himself. The only thing he wanted to do right now was to put his head on the table and take a nap and he would have done it if it wasn't for the light knock on the conference room doors.

"Come in."

"Reeve? Are you busy right now?" Melissa sheepishly asked as she poked her head into the room.

"Oh, Mel!" Reeve sat up surprised. "No, I'm not busy. Come in."

The two gazed at each other with a mixture of hesitation and anticipation, waiting for one or the other to begin speaking. Melissa had slowly closed the distance between them as the large conference room felt too spacious and formal for the intimacy that the pair once held for each other. Reeve fidgeted with his hands as he tired to decide whether to put his hands on the table, in his pocket or just keep them at his side rigidly to express how nervous he was.

"So, did you and Sara have a safe trip from Costa Del Sol?" Reeve asked, resigning to putting one hand in his pocket and one to his side.

"Yes, we did," Melissa smiled slightly. "The Turks were very nice and helpful. I think Rude has taken a liking to being a babysitter."

"I never would have thought that he was good with kids," Reeve chuckled.

"I wouldn't have either, but he is. Sara's really happy to see you again."

"She's really grown into a beautiful girl in a year. I'm just glad that she gets her charm and good looks from her mother."

"Though she's just as smart as her father."

Reeve blushed as he looked at Melissa's soft features as she was smiling at him. She still held that same beauty that captivated him when he first met her. She still wore her hair up in a ponytail like she did when they started dating. Soft strands gently graced her face like angel's breath faintly blowing against her cheeks.

He had always noticed how her hair swept against her face from the first time they met at the coffee shop on campus. She was standing in line and reading a book about art history while he was hoping to stop in for a quick cup of coffee. A quick coffee run would have typically taken Reeve straight to the counter without delay, order his coffee, then leave without giving anyone in the shop a second glance or thought. But fate had other ideas up her sleeve that day.

If it wasn't for Melissa dropping her bookmark on the floor while she stood in line, if it wasn't for Reeve's alertness and politeness to return the dropped bookmark, and if it wasn't for Melissa's captivating beauty or for Reeve choking on his words after finally laying eyes on the woman of his dreams; then he would have never known the charm and chemistry that an artist and computer geek could have together. Reeve would have also never realized how much love hurt more than just your personal feelings until he made the mistake of choosing a career with ShinRa over his family: love hurt the body and soul.

Reeve had always been a smart man, but even the smartest of men make stupid decisions. But despite that, he was now standing in front of the women who he married and was still technically married to. He never knew how such a beautiful woman could have fallen in love with a man like him and he was afraid that he would never know. But how he wanted to know and he was going to try his damnedest to keep her affectionate gaze on him so one day he would find out.

"You had a café au lait that day," Reeve stated simply.

"What?"

"That day we first met, in the small coffee shop on campus. You dropped your bookmark so I picked it up for you."

"Yes, and I treated you to some coffee. You just had a plain cup of joe. I don't even think you put cream or sugar in it, did you?"

"Not back then I didn't. I use a little bit of cream and sugar now, but not back then I didn't," Reeve smiled.

"I guess, we all change while time goes by," Melissa nervously said as she rubbed her arms.

"You don't look like you've changed a bit. You're just as beautiful as when we first met," Reeve whispered. "I can still see the smart, funny, and beautiful woman who stole my heart over a cup of coffee."

"You were always a flatterer, you know that," Melissa's eyes shone with unshed tears as her lips quivered.

"I only flatter because the compliments are true."

"Are they still true, even today? Even after all the arguments and the times I got mad at you for doing what you do best?"

"Yes. Even if you told me you hated me, I'd still think of you as the most beautiful woman I'd ever met and I'd still love you."

"Oh, Reeve. You have no idea how much that means to me," Melissa sobbed as she desperately wanted to run into Reeve's arms and feel his comforting touch.

Slowly, Melissa reached her quivering hands out to touch the man she fell in love with and hold him in her arms again. Her hand found his as she felt strong arms envelope her in a warm embrace: an embrace that calmed her nervous heart.

"You have no idea how you can still affect me. From the moment when you handed me my bookmark to now, you still make me feel like a squealing teenager. I've just missed you Reeve," Melissa cried. "I want to try again. I want a second chance."

"And you'll get a second chance cause I've missed you too Mel. I missed hearing your voice and feeling your soft skin. Heck, I've even missed arguing with you over not moving to Costa Del Sol with you and Sara. How the hell did you ever fall for a guy like me?"

"I just did, Reeve. I just did. And I know that I couldn't bear living without you. Not after everything that's happened. Sara misses her Daddy and I miss my husband," Melissa said softly as she wiped away her tears.

Reeve smiled and breathed a content sigh of relief with his wife in his arms. He brushed some of her hair out of her face as he stared at her glimmering brown eyes. He was tempted to kiss her and rekindle those feelings of love and passion that they had shared many times before in the past. But it was too early. He settled for a soft kiss on her forehead, which she relished. They both needed this comfortable and familiar feeling.

"What's going to happen now?" Melissa asked worriedly.

"I don't know. But I swear to you that I'm not going to leave you or Sara again. I made a huge mistake when I did that."

"Good, because I don't want to leave you."

"Everything's going to be okay. I promise you. And after everything with Midgar is finally over and the government is back on track, I'll resign as President if it means being together with you and Sara again."

"I . . . I don't know what to say," Melissa stood shocked.

"Say anything," Reeve smiled.

"Thank you," Melissa smiled as she tightened her embrace.

Sara Anderson giggled as she watched her mother and father hug each other through the small video feed Rude had attached to her Kate Sith doll. She was glad that her parents hadn't found the doll resting quietly underneath the table.

"Hey, kiddo. Whatcha up to?" Rude walked over to Sara as she knelt on the floor.

"I'm just watching Mommy and Daddy," Sara smiled at her new Uncle.

Rude looked at the video feed as Sara gasped and giggled some more after seeing her parents slowly close in for a passionate kiss. Rude smiled as he shook his head in amusement.

"Come on Sara, let's not spy on your parents anymore. I think they need their privacy."

"Oh, but I want to see!" Sara softly whined.

"How about we go and wake-up Auntie Elena? I bet that'll be more fun," Rude picked the girl up and took the remote from the scheming child.  
"Yeah, that sounds like fun," the girl smiled brightly.

"It's a good thing I didn't equip Kate Sith with that audio feed. I bet you'd make a great Turk when you grow up."

"Do you think Mommy and Daddy will let me be a Turk and then work with you and Uncle Reno and Auntie Elena?"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't ask them until you're a bit bigger."

"Okay," Sara nodded her head shaking her brown hair everywhere.

Rude smiled as he held Sara and walked down the hall of the Junon office. He was grateful that Sara had agreed to come with him to wake Elena up. He knew that she was going to be a spit-fire once she woke-up and hoped that the presence of a young child in the room would weaken her wrathful bite.

"Well, ain't that just the sweetest sight you've ever seen," a sarcastically gruff voice echoed down the hall.

"Uncle Reno!" Sara yelped.

"Hey there sweetie-pie. Give Uncle Reno a kiss," Reno pointed to his cheek where Sara gave him a quick peck. "That's a good girl."

"You heading out?" Rude asked flatly as he noticed the dirty pair of jeans and black T-shirt Reno was wearing.

"Yeah, duty calls."

"You stay alive."

"Gotcha bud. Bye-bye Sara. Uncle Reno's gotta go out to work. Be good around Uncle Rude and Auntie Elena."

"I will. We're going to go wake-up Auntie Elena right now."

"Oh, I'm glad that I'm heading out to town now. Good luck Rude, you'll need it," Reno laughed as he walked down the halls whistling a tune.

Rude shook his head as he continued down the hall to the room where Elena was resting. As he was about to open the door, the shrill shriek of an awake and highly pissed off Elena could be heard through the doors. Rude could slightly decipher the sounds of "Where the fuck is he?" and "I'm gonna rip that son-of-a-bitch's testicles off," echoing through the door.

Rude's face twitched as he hesitantly grabbed the handle for the door, "Reno, you owe me big time."

_(Break)_

All she could hear was the fast-paced beating of her heart as she ran along the rooftops in Junon. She knew was that the ShinRa Army was out looking for her. She had to think fast. She quickly hid behind an air duct as she removed the sniper rifle from her side and placed it on the hook she had placed in the air duct hours earlier. If they were to catch her, they would never catch her with her weapon.

She could easily blend in like a regular Junon citizen by getting rid of the black cloak that masked her auburn hair and green eyes. Running to the edge of the rooftop, she slid down the escape ladder until she was well hidden, deep in one of the many alleyways in the seaside city. Ditching her cloak in a nearby dumpster, all she needed to do now was to act casually as if nothing had happened and pretend to stroll along the city streets. It was all too easy.

Walking along the sidewalk keeping her eyes forward, she quickly spotted a café and slipped inside looking for an empty table so she could begin her work. Luckily for her, the lunch rush was over and Angel walked over to the quiet table in the corner making sure to sit against the wall so she could see everything in the small café. She was certain no one knew whom she was or what she just tried to do, but she could never be too certain. A life of an assassin has only one certainty and that's death. It was kill or be killed and today Angel was not in the mood to be on the receiving end of death; after all, she was much more adept at giving it.

Calmly scanning the menu, Angel ordered a double espresso and croissant while keeping her eyes over the menu on the entrance to the café. The Junon police could be seen running around outside questioning random people on the streets. Angel nibbled nervously on her nails as she watched the police and soldiers march past the café. None of them had paid any attention to the tiny eatery and Angel hoped they never would.

"Did you hear about the assassination attempt against President Anderson?"

"What?" Angel looked up to see the waitress who took her order hovering over her with her food. "Oh yeah. I heard about it on the streets."

"News really travels fast, don't it?"

"Yeah, real fast," Angel said, keeping her eyes on the door.

"Hey, did ya hear the rumor that President ShinRa ain't dead?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"Well, it's just a rumor. Can't say I'm thrilled, but what can you do?"

Angel merely shrugged as she pulled the hot espresso toward her.

"But I'll let you go now so you can enjoy your food."

"Thanks," Angel sighed, relieved that the waitress had left.

The espresso helped relax Angel as she sipped on the bitter drink. Her nerves were frayed and all she wanted right now was to savor her croissant and espresso, but she knew that she had work to do. This moment wouldn't have been such a burden if she had succeeded in her mission. Angel always hated the uncertainty of how a client would react to her failure. She took pride in her work and sometimes that pride led her to make mistakes, like today.

Tearing a small piece of her croissant, she silently replayed how she was waiting on top of the rooftop near the airfield. She was in a great spot where she could practically see the entire city of Junon. She had seen the airship carrying the President touch down and taxi down the runway closer towards where she was sitting and waiting. Angel remembered having the blue-suited President in her sight as he debarked the plane and walked down the runway. The only thing she hadn't accounted for was the moment when a soldier pushed her target out of the sight just as she had pulled the trigger.

Her face sagged in disappointment as she replayed that scene in her mind, trying to determine what went wrong. There were no noises she made that the soldier could have heard since she was over 100 yards away. It was impossible for him to have reacted to the sound of her sniper rifle firing. Nobody is that quick. She was in front of a coolant system that hid her from anyone on top of the roof. The sun was positioned so it would be behind her when she fired, so what could it have been?

Recalling the instant she fled the scene, she remembered hitting her head against the coolant system as she shot up to run away. She remembered glancing at the damn machinery and inspecting her visage quickly in the shiny metal before making a full sprint to the edge of the rooftop and jumping. Angel caught her breath as she flashbacked to when she saw her reflection on the coolant system. The damn machine that she hit her head on gave away her position to that one soldier on the airstrip.

Grabbing her croissant and angrily biting off a huge chunk. She chewed heavily on the buttery bread to suppress her desire to scream at the top of her lungs. A simple mistake caused by her inability to see the dangers behind the large reflective sheet of metal that was behind her, giving away her position. A mistake that could very well destroy her reputation as one of the top female assassins in the world. That wasn't something she needed right now.

Frustrated, she pulled out her cellphone and began to punch in a series of numbers and letters in a message to be sent to her client. Staring at the message, Angel scanned the text to make sure that all that needed to be said was stated. Pushing the send button, she closed her eyes and breathed, knowing that the minutes or even hours she had to wait for a reply would be excruciating.

Putting the phone down, she reached for her espresso and sighed as she stared outside to watch the Junon police and soldiers scurrying around the town like mice in a maze. Angel was going to have to wait in the café for a long time until the streets were cleared of all the military and law enforcement. All that she could do now was order another espresso and perhaps a danish instead of a croissant.

_(break)_

"Oh, we're finally out of that cramped airship. I was afraid I was going to suffocate if we didn't land soon," Matilda complained as she fanned herself with her purse.

"It wouldn't have been so unbearable if you weren't bickering constantly. But come on now mother. We need to find a hotel to stay at and I need to start planning the next phase of our future."

"Planning. What more is there for you to plan. You've been typing away on your little hand-held phone throughout the entire flight."

"I was busy working to make sure that we get rid of obstacles that are in our way of getting me to the Presidential office. Now shut-up and just enjoy the salty ocean air while we're here," Nick grumbled.

"The salty air stings my nose. I can't see how people get used to this."

Nicholas King merely rolled his eyes as he carried the luggage off the airship and led the way towards the center of town. The batteries in his cellphone were dying and needed to be recharged before he could begin searching for a willing assassin to go into Midgar and kill off the two executives that President Anderson put in charge. He had been having difficultly finding anyone willing to go into Midgar and an even harder time finding someone willing to do it without any money upfront.

His mother's constant bickering wasn't really helping matters either. He knew all too well about his mother's past and her acting like a prima donna only strained his patience. The brusque walk and his need to find a hotel were helping to focus his anger to the more physical task of carrying the two suitcases in his arms. Once he was President of ShinRa, the first thing he was going to do was ban bitter old women and outlaw suitcases without wheels.

He didn't know how long he had walked lugging the two large suitcases, but Nick finally found a small patch of paradise by the name of "The Seaside Inn." The prices were cheap and the rooms were clean and that was all that he needed right now. Nick blocked out any of his mother's complaints as he paid for the room and quickly walked down the hall to where the room was located. He had barely noticed that she was following him until they had finally gotten into the room.

"Air conditioning. Thank goodness," Matilda sighed as she lay down on one of the beds.

Nick sat down in the nearest chair as he wiped the sweat off of his brow and stared at the two offending pieces of luggage. In one of them contained his cellphone charger that he needed to get. His arms were aching from lifting the two suitcases for what seemed like miles. He didn't want to have to stand up if he didn't have to and pulled out his cellphone only to moan in exhausted frustration. He had one message and his cellphone had barely enough power to open it.

Agitated and tired, Nick groaned as he walked the short distance to the suitcases and shuffled through the contents. He sifted through clothes and personal items until he finally found the charger hidden in the bottom of one of the suitcases. It was almost a painstaking effort to finally find a plug and attach it to the phone. Nick King swore than when he became President of ShinRa, he wouldn't have to do any more physical labor than necessary.

Pushing a few buttons, Nick opened up the message and scanned the text as his frowned at what he saw:

MISSION FAILED. WILL DO HIT AGAIN, NO EXTRA CHARGE. MESSAGE ME.

The assassin he had hired to kill President Anderson hadn't followed through as he had expected. Nick knew that another attempt on the President would also fail given the high alertness in the city after this failure. He tapped his fingers on a nearby table as he stared at the message hoping that the words would warp and change to the words "Mission Accomplished."

The ambitious man mulled over the message for a few minutes before finally opening his eyes to the potential this assassin had. Quickly punching a series of buttons on his phone, he typed:

GO TO MIDGAR. TARGET C. JOHNSON AND E. RIVERS. USE ALL MEANS POSSIBLE. DO NOT FAIL. END OF LINE.

Nick smirked as he pushed the send button and reclined in his chair. He still had a lot to do if he wanted to begin building his empire, but there was at least one matter he had finally resolved. Soon, very soon, his name would be plastered on every wall and spoken by any and everyone who lived on this planet.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. My soul was taken by the very thing called Xenosaga: Episode II. I think I have it back now. 


	21. Working In A Coal Mine

**Chapter 21: Working in a Coal Mine**

The building and hallways were unfamiliar, but there was no mistaking the charged atmosphere and the smells of a busy hospital such as the temporary one under Midgar. It was almost like another day at work for Tina Carter, except for the fact that she was underneath the city in a familiar environment but unfamiliar building. There were still the typical patients like the sick child or woman in labor, but thankfully there weren't the typical gang related injuries or deaths caused in the lower plates. Those had been replaced by people getting hurt walking around the city without a flashlight. There were still the occasional muggings or attempted homicides, but with ShinRa soldiers stationed all over old Midgar, hardly anyone dared to do anything. That alone was a relief to the citizens of Midgar along with the fact that they were able to miraculously use the old hospital. Unfortunately, things were never perfect and the hospital was expected to be fully functional even if it didn't have everything.

Tina knew first hand what it was like working in less than adequate conditions. She walked through the halls of the hospital trying to find the supply room, which was somewhere in the large building. She, like everyone else, was still trying to familiarize themselves with the old hospital. The chaos was irritating to Tina, but she knew that if she wanted to give the patient a tetanus shot after cutting himself on a rusted beam, she would have to find a fresh supply of shots.

Finally, she found the room with a large white sheet of paper taped to the front with the words "Supply Room," written crudely with a black marker. Inside the supply room, she saw boxes upon boxes of opened and unopened containers. Two nurses were busy trying to sort through the supplies, putting them on shelves while a doctor was shuffling through the boxes looking for something.

"Hey, have you guys found any supplies of tetanus shots yet?"

"No, we haven't. Check the boxes over where Doctor Graham is searching," one of the nurses replied.

"Oh, Doctor Graham, how are you doing?" Tina asked the Doctor who was busy sorting through a box.

"Huh? Oh, Miss Carter. How are you? I take it you're looking for something?"

"Yeah, tetanus shots. How about yourself? What are you looking for?"

"Formaldehyde and body bags. There are a few items that the morgue can't risk being low on and those are two of them. I pray that we won't need more of it though."

"I'll let you know if I find it."

"That would be great," the older man smiled as he continued to search through a box.

The pair worked silently rummaging through all the unlabeled boxes of supplies. The two nurses in the room were still sorting through their boxes and shelving medical supplies. So far Tina had been successful in finding all the cotton swabs and bandages that she would ever need, but still no shots.

"Oh, Miss Carter. Did you say you were looking for tetanus shots?" Doctor Graham politely asked.

"Oh yes, did you find them?"

"It seems I have the lucky box," the doctor laughed as he handed the box full of shots to Tina.

"Oh thank you Doctor Graham," Tina graciously took the box.

"I'm glad you found what you were looking for. I however, have yet to find my lucky box," pointing to the room full of boxes.

"I'm sure it's in here. I hope you won't be searching too much longer."

"Oh, I'm sure I won't. If those two nice nurses weren't doing their job and would help me look, I'm sure I'd find it a lot faster. Though it's not like any of my patients are going anywhere," Doctor Graham winked as his comment caused the nurses to giggle.

"Say Miss Carter. Do you know if you'll be transferred to the surface once they finally make a tunnel to get the people out of Old Midgar?"

"I think so. Doctor Griggs already put me on the list of nurses and physicians that would first head to the surface to take care of patients there."

"Oh, that's good. Do you think you could do a favor for me?"

"Certainly," Tina replied eagerly.

"I have a memento of a poor man in the morgue that needs to get to his relatives. I've already heard from one of them and am trying to find a way to get the memento to a female relative. Do you think you can take it to the surface and get it in her hands?" Doctor Graham asked as he pulled out a small black box.

"I'd love to do it. But who should I look for when I get to the surface?"

"I'll call them up and tell them who you are. They'll come and look for you. I think that'll make things easier."

"Alright. I'll be sure to give it to her when she asks for it," Tina took the small box and looked at it. "What happened to him?"

"That poor man was in the ShinRa tower when Weapon attacked it. He had no chance of getting out in time," the older man said sadly.

"Oh, that is very sad. I'll be sure to give this to his relatives."

"Thanks. I'm sure that man's family will be very grateful. But don't let me hold you up any longer. You have some shots to give and I have to find some formaldehyde and body bags."

"Your welcome. I hope you find your lucky box," Tina laughed as she left the storage room.

She looked down the halls trying to reorient herself to where her patient was in the unfamiliar building. The small black box banged against her leg as she walked down the hall and Tina wondered what the small memento was that was resting in her pocket. She knew she wouldn't open it up, because that would be rude. She hoped that Doctor Graham remembered to call the woman about the memento. However, Tina couldn't think about those things as she found the room with her patient. It was time to get back to work and give the pale-faced man his shot. Now came the challenge of giving him the shot without him fainting.

_(break)_

Thomas was busy scribbling down some numbers as he heard the constant banging of Cid and Shera's digging machine. Everyone was surprised at how well the machine was doing, even Captain Highwind. The miners kept out of the machine's path out of fear and respect of the machine's female operator. No one wanted the same fate as Dirk.

Work had been going much faster than Thomas had initially predicted, mainly because of that machine. It would take a few more days before they would reach the other side and at least one more day to put-up the support beams and widen the tunnel enough so it was safe for citizens to travel through. The coal miners were already working hard digging and carting debris out of the mines. His next worry would be setting up a camp near Fort Condor to house citizens who had no place else to go.

"Hey kid!"

Thomas looked up to see Captain Highwind popping some gum in his mouth while strolling over to him.

"How much further do we got to dig?"

"Well, at the rate we're going, we'll probably reach Midgar in two or three days."

"Ya sure about that?" Cid glared.

"Well, not 100, but relatively sure," Thomas nervously replied.

"Good enough for me," Cid nodded. "Hey Wallace! I'm sticking to my guns and putting my twenty gil into the pot."

"I'm telling ya Highwind. Ya gonna lose. Even with that machine 'o yours, it's gonna be four days til we get to Midgar."

"Less talk, more dig," Cid spat.

"Whatever Highwind," Barret laughed as he shouldered a pick ax with his good arm.

Thomas blinked a few times as he watched the exchange between the two AVALANCHE members. Coal miners were all laughing along with them. Everyone seemed engaged in their work or some menial task. Even Pete was helping some miners load debris onto some carts. Thomas felt very awkward as he stood idly as everyone worked around him.

"Don't worry about them. They're always like that," Nanaki said as he crept alongside Thomas.

"Oh, Nanaki. I'm glad to see you. I kinda feel a little useless right now just standing here."

"I know how you feel. I don't have any arms that can lift up rocks and my claws can't dig through anything in his cavern."

"I'm starting to wonder if there's anything else that I need to do here. Cid's really the one supervising the entire project and with Shera here, any calculations can easily be done by her."

"Try not to be too hard on yourself. We wouldn't be down here digging in the first place if you hadn't brought those maps. I think everyone has a role and you can't expect someone to do everything."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just feel awkward when I'm standing around while everyone else is busy," Thomas glanced at all the busy miners.

"I have the same feeling as well. But I've come to learn that as long as you do everything that you possibly can do, then there's nothing you should be ashamed of."

Thomas processed Nanaki's thoughtful words and nodded, "I guess you're right. Thanks for the advice."

"Think nothing of it. Perhaps you'd like to join me in exploring the rest of these mines. I'd like to have some time away from all the noise and I don't have a map to where all the tunnels lead," Nanaki said as he scratched his ears.

"I think that would be great," Thomas smiled as he walked with Nanaki.

_(break)_

Cid Highwind's hands shook slightly as he popped another stick of gum into his mouth. He hadn't had a cigarette in seven hours, thirteen minutes, thirty four seconds and counting. Cid needed to smoke and he needed to smoke badly. He had considered leaving the mines to take a cigarette break, but he didn't trust any of the men in the mines. Especially since Shera was working right beside him. Nobody was going to get friendly with his Shera.

Surveying the work, Cid impatiently tapped his foot on the floor as he checked his watch every other second. Shera watched Cid fidget relentlessly as she looked up from the digging machine she had been monitoring. It bothered her whenever the Captain was agitated and right now Cid was beyond agitated: he was a nervous wreck.

"Captain, er um, Cid. Is something the matter?" Shera asked with concern.

"Is something the matter? Hell, Shera, something's always going wrong here. Of course something ain't right. Damn Meteor almost destroying Midgar, fucking Chaos going all ape-shit and that stupid punk Cloud, god bless his soul, dying; hell, I think things are fucking peachy right now," Cid said maniacally.

Shera flinched as she tried to find a way to comfort the man. "Well, is there anything I can do to help?"

Cid looked at Shera for a minute and realized that if she went with him outside, then he could take his long awaited cigarette break without having to worry about any of those grubby miners getting too friendly with her.

Cid's eyes lit up as he looked at Shera with a crazed look and quickly asked, "Shera, come with me. We gotta go outside."

Shera didn't even have time to respond as Cid grabbed her by the arm and dragged her through the tunnels until they reached Fort Condor's entrance to the mines. Shera panted catching her breath after Cid practically sprinted toward the exit. The bright sunlight was soothing as Shera breathed in the fresh country air. Outside, Shera could see the soot and dust covering her white coat and hands. _At least it's not machine oil_.

"Ah, that's the stuff," Cid sighed as he blew out a puff of smoke.

Shera watched Cid smoke in blissful satisfaction, realizing that he hadn't had a cigarette all day since they've been in the mines.

"Cid, is this your first cigarette today?"

"Yeah, it is. And it's so fucking good right now," Cid smiled as he leaned back against a wall and savored the nicotine rush.

Now Shera knew why Cid had been acting antsy all day. He was going through withdrawal and Shera knew quite well that Cid Highwind would go crazy if he couldn't smoke.

"Why aren't you smoking in the mines?"

"Cause Wallace says I can't smoke there. Something about fumes blowing things up. Hell, if I know, but better safe than fricasseed."

"That doesn't make sense. Why would Barret say that? We have gas lanterns in the mines and cigarette smoke isn't strong enough to ignite a fire," Shera mused.

"What? Come that by me again," Cid said with an intense look in his eyes.

"Cigarette smoke shouldn't light a fire in the mines," Shera said before her eyes lit up in understanding. "I think Barret was trying to get you to quit."

"That stupid muscled-brain fathead! I should give him a piece of my mind and stick my Venus Gospel so far up his ass he'll be spitting it out," Cid seethed as he kicked the wall.

"Shera, let's get going. I have some ass I need to kick and we've got a tunnel to dig," Cid marched forward into the mine with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Yes, sir!" Shera smiled, trying her best not to laugh as she followed behind Cid.

Never in a million years would she have guessed that Cid would have fallen for a trick like that. Cid had always done everything possible to smoke whenever he could and would probably give his right eye for a cigarette. Nicotine was his lifeblood and Barret seemed determine to cut Cid off of his habit. She just hoped that Barret was ready for some punishment because the Captain was ready to dish it out.

_(break)_

"The Mythril Mines aren't actually that hard to navigate through. There aren't many tunnels that lead you to nowhere and since this mine has two entrances, it's very easy to find a way out," Thomas explained to Nanaki as they walked through the tunnels.

"I remember it being quite easy to navigate from one end to the other. Though there were a few monsters that we had to fight along the way."

"Monsters?" Thomas asked with an edge of fear.

"Yes, but they were small monsters. Don't worry."

"Do, do you think that the miners are in any danger?"

"I don't think they will be. The creatures living in these mines tend to stay away from large groups of people. They'll only attack small animals or weak looking creatures. But try not to worry. They're actually pretty harmless," Nanaki said to reassure the nervous executive.

Thomas looked all around the mines as he tried to convince himself that there were no monsters hiding behind him or lurking in the shadows. He hadn't heard that these mines were infested. Right now he wished that Pete were here with him so he could have someone else to fight off anything that might attack him.

Walking a bit closer to Nanaki, Thomas nervously led them to another turn in the tunnel. He kept his senses heightened as he tried to make sure that there were no hungry monsters just waiting for the pair to walk around the corner before making a snack out of them. Suddenly, Nanaki stopped causing Thomas to nearly jump back and hide behind the large beast.

"I smell something else here in the mines with us," Nanaki whispered.

"Is it a monster?"

"I don't think so. I've never smelled this before though."

Thomas nearly screamed when he heard the soft tapping of whatever was behind the corner. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared with morbid curiosity at the bend. Nanaki was already crouched down ready to pounce at whatever was making the noise and Thomas looked around not sure what he should do. He didn't have any weapons besides the map of the tunnels, flashlight and a pencil. Grabbing the pencil tightly in his hands, he raised it high as he stood next to Nanaki and held his breath.

The tapping sounds grew louder and louder until the pair could hear someone or something shuffling against the rock. A light could be seen flashing around the corner bouncing up and down. Thomas's eyes widened. The creature probably had glowing eyes used to illuminate its way through the mines and with any creature with bright glowing eyes, large razor-sharp teeth had to follow.

The creature with the light finally made it around the corner and Thomas flashed his light at it as the creature's brightly lit eyes flashed over Thomas. Thomas screamed as he fell back on his ass and heard the creature scream too in a somewhat high-pitched feminine squeal. Readjusting his flashlight, Thomas stared in disbelief as he saw on the ground not the razor-sharp teeth of a carnivorous monster with glowing eyes, but a beautiful blue-eyed, blonde-haired woman holding onto a flashlight as if her life depended on it.

"Thomas, are you alright?" Nanaki asked as he switched glances between Thomas and the woman.

"Yeah, I am," Thomas got up as he walked toward the woman.

"It . . . it talks!" The woman pointed at Nanaki.

"Miss, are you alright? Sorry if I scared you back there. Don't worry about Nanaki, he isn't going to harm you in any way," Thomas held his hand out for the woman.

"Oh, don't worry about scaring me, I'm just amazed that I'm face to face with a talking lion. This is a major scoop that the Science and Technology journalists would love," the woman locked her gaze on Nanaki, ignoring Thomas's kind gesture as she helped herself up.

"I beg your pardon ma'am, but I'm not a talking lion. My name is Nanaki from Cosmo Canyon and I'm the last of my tribe," Nanaki said as he sat down somewhat annoyed.

"Well, whatever you are, you're still news, that's what," the woman continued to stare at Nanaki.

"I'd prefer it if you not examine me like some specimen," Nanaki growled.

"Hey, are you interested in being interviewed? You'll get your name and picture in the papers?" paying no attention to his obvious signs of discomfort.

"No thanks," Nanaki snorted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's too bad. Here, let me give you my card in case you want an interview." The woman pulled out a business card.

Thomas watched as the woman still continued to ignore him. Irritated that she seemed to have no regard for what was going on here, he finally found the nerve to speak, "Miss, sorry to ask, but . . . what are you doing in the mines? No unauthorized personnel are allowed in here."

The blond-haired woman turned to Thomas and glared at him. She walked over to Thomas assertively as she pulled out her press pass and waived it tauntingly in Thomas's face. "Unauthorized personnel or not, the public has a right to know the news."

Thomas grabbed the pass and read it: _Miss Autumn Noval, reporter for the Junon Star_. He glanced back and forth between the press pass and the woman, realizing that the sour faced woman before him matched the smiling woman in the picture.

"Well Miss Noval. It seems you are a member of the press. But I still can't allow you to roam around these mines. It's dangerous in here and I'm sure that ShinRa is giving the press hourly updates."

"Yes, yes they are. But I'm not interested in just the hourly updates. I need current news, news in the now. As you're aware, thousands of people are trapped underneath Midgar and every one of them has family or friends around the world just waiting to hear how they're doing. The people have a right to know what's going on here and I have a right to be here to report it."

"Well, that's all well and good, but I can't let you—"

"Are you saying you can't let the world know that their loved ones are going to be safe? Are you saying that they can't have the reassurance that the people who they're praying for everyday are going to come out of this alive?" Autumn flailed her arms.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it's dangerous for you to be here," Thomas added defensively. "There are monsters in these mines."

"The only monsters I see so far are you and Red Rover. Besides, if I'm not here, then who's going to report to the people, to the world about this? You?"

"Not me personally, I mean. I usually call into Junon and then they—"

"So what good is that if I have to wait an hour for an update that I can give citizens, now? What good are you?"

Thomas sighed in anger as he tried to restrain himself from raising his voice as he spoke through clenched teeth, "Miss Noval. I understand that you're trying to do your job as a reporter, but having you here would only delay the miners from working and getting those thousands of people out to safety. If you value the welfare of the citizens trapped in Midgar, I suggest you exit the mines and wait like all the other reporters for the hourly update because right now you're wasting my time and you're being a distraction."

Autumn raised an eyebrow as she stared at the young angry executive. She hadn't thought that he would have lasted as long as he had and she was impressed that he wasn't as meek as he looked.

"I guess President Anderson does know how to pick his men. Fine, I'll leave the mines but on two conditions."

"What?" Thomas crossed his arms.

"One, you give me updates every thirty minutes about the dig and two, you get me a front seat when they finally break into Old Midgar. If you do that, I promise to be a good little girl and wait outside the mines. Deal?" Autumn held her hand out.

Thomas looked at it hesitantly at first. He didn't want this woman in the mines when they finally broke through to Old Midgar, but he definitely didn't want her in the mines right now. He knew he wasn't making a deal with the devil, but a reporter was no different.

"Deal," Thomas finally relented. "But you have to stay at the entrance near the swamps and don't go across the swamps without an escort."

"I wouldn't be here in the first place if I hadn't cross the swamps now, would I? But fine. I'll follow your rules. Just be sure to keep your end of the bargain," Autumn pointed her finger in Thomas's face before turning and heading for the exit.

Thomas sighed in relief as he closed his eyes in a moment of peace. It had been quite taxing on him to keep up with her fiery nature. The image of her crystal blue eyes shining in a burning rage at him gave him the shivers. He was glad that she wasn't unattractive so he could keep his eyes locked on her soft pink lips and luscious eyes.

In fact, she was pretty cute when he thought about it long enough, just too pushy. Her curly blonde hair really matched with her spunky personality and it gave her a certain class that made her stand out. Though her blue jeans and white button-up shirt certainly made her look more causal and easygoing, that didn't change the fact that she could have easily smeared his ego on the cavernous walls if she was given the chance. He was glad that she had left, but a part of him couldn't wait to see her again.

Not a moment sooner, Thomas saw Autumn rounding the corner again and walk straight up to him with a determined look on her face.

"Don't forget to update me every thirty minutes, starting from . . . now. I expect to see you outside in half-an hour, got that?" Autumn yelled as she headed back for the entrance, not even waiting for Thomas to respond.

Nanaki shook his head as he watched the two bicker at each other.

"So do you think she's going to wait outside the cave?" Nanaki eyed the flabbergasted man.

"Well, I hope so. There's no telling with her, but as long as I go talk to her every thirty minutes, she should be okay. She's . . . she's quite a woman, isn't she?" Thomas asked, not hiding his interest in the woman.

"I suppose she is. I haven't quite figured out how you humans determine attraction in the opposite sex yet," Nanaki sighed, remembering how demanding she had been.

"I don't know either. Though I have heard that the females of our kind are more deadly then the male and now I know why."

Nanaki laughed at the insightful comment, "If my friends Tifa or Yuffie heard you say that, they would have given you a black-eye."

"I have no doubt that Ms. Noval could do the same to me. And the scary thing is, most men like me are the suckers that take it."

"I don't see how you humans do it. But it seems to make both sexes happier in the long run so I suppose there's some benefit in the end."

The soft clicking of shoes on rock alerted Thomas and Nanaki that someone was headed their way. Thomas half-hoped it was Autumn again, but frowned when he saw a sweaty, out of breath Pete running towards them.

"Hey, there you are," Pete panted. "I was looking all over for you."

"Sorry, I should've told you I was exploring the mines," Thomas apologized.

"Nah, it's all good. I just didn't want to find you half-eaten by some monster or something."

"Yeah, thanks for the reassurance," Thomas said flatly. "But I guess we should get back to check on progress."

"Um, I'd actually wait out here for a little bit longer," Pete scratched his head.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Well, Highwind and Wallace are going at it right now and it's not a pretty sight. I've learned several new swear words that I didn't know even existed."

"Oh geez, should we go down there and break it up?" Thomas asked worried.

"I wouldn't worry about them. They won't do anything to physically harm each other. Give them ten minutes and everything will be back to normal," Nanaki said as he shook his head. "I was wondering when this was going to happen. It had been a while since they last argued."

The sound of a large explosion jostled the mines as the trio stared wide-eyed down the tunnel where the noise came from.

"On second thought, perhaps it would be wise to check on them," Nanaki sighed.

_(break)_

Rufus stared down at the deep blue water below him as it sailed past at ungodly speeds. He was amazed. Never in his life would he have believed that chocobos could walk across water, but here he was riding across the ocean.

"Dude, John. Keep your eyes up. You're making me sick watching you stare at the water," Yuffie said as she held her hand to her mouth.

"Sorry, I've just never been across the ocean like this before," Rufus still stared in awe at the chocobo's speed.

"You can stare all you want, just don't let me see it," Yuffie swallowed hard.

"Try talking more Yuffie, doesn't that usually help you?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, it does. Let's talk about anything except the ocean."

"I didn't realize that you got seasick," Rufus said sympathetically.

"John! Let's not talk about that right now!" Yuffie said clutching her stomach.

"I heard that if you repeatedly push a pressure point on your wrist, that helps relieve your naus--, er problem," Rufus said as he demonstrated on himself.

Yuffie poked the pressure point as she breathed heavily, "This had better work City-boy."

"Does that really work?" Tifa asked.

"It should. I've seen it work on people before," Rufus said, remembering how Scarlet couldn't stomach riding in a boat and used that technique to ease her nausea.

"I'm not feeling any better yet!" Yuffie complained as she continued to poke at her wrist.

"Start counting or something. The relief isn't instantaneous or anything," Rufus replied.

"One! Two! Three! Still nothing yet. Four! Five! . . ." Yuffie counted.

"Remember to breathe deeply," Tifa added.

"Six! Seven! What do you think I'm doing Tifa? Eight! Nine! Ten! When are we getting toward land?" Yuffie practically cried as she still poked at her wrist.

"Soon, I think we have a few more minutes," Tifa answered as she bit her lip.

"Just keep your mind occupied. Think about things like what the others might be doing now or what you're going to do when you get to Costa Del Sol," Rufus tried to think of a solution to ease Yuffie's seasickness.

"You know that Barret and Cid are probably blowing something up in the mine and Red is sniffing someone's butt. The first thing I'm going to do at Costa Del Sol is kiss the ground, that's what I'm going to do."

"Well, is any of this helping?" Rufus asked.

"A little, but I'm still not looking down," Yuffie breathed heavily.

"The poor girl, has she always had that problem?" Rufus asked Tifa.

"Yeah, ever since we met her. I hope that technique you showed her will last."

"Well, I've never used it myself so I'm not sure. For our sakes I hope so," Rufus whispered. "Is it even possible to get sick riding a chocobo?"

"I didn't think it was, but I guess so," Tifa whispered back.

"So how long will it take for us to get across the ocean?" Rufus asked.

"Honestly, another fifteen to twenty minutes. I hope Yuffie doesn't notice," Tifa smiled shyly.

Rufus looked over at Yuffie who was still poking at her wrist. The energetic ninja was sweating and breathing deeply as her pale face continued to stare straight ahead of her. It looked like she was going to reintroduce herself with her lunch at any moment.

"Yeah, I think it's best that we not mention that to her. There are some things best left unsaid," Rufus quietly said to Tifa.

"I agree," Tifa smiled. "I have to admit. I'm surprised you're showing so much concern for her."

"What's so surprising about that? She's a poor kid with seasickness."

"True, but the way she's been teasing you, I'd thought you'd take this opportunity to tease her back."

"Who me? I'd never do that. I hate attacking those who can't defend themselves," Rufus smiled as a few stray bangs fell into his face.

Tifa smiled back as she watched him tuck his brown hair behind his ear. She thought that he was very sincere and caring for an ex-ShinRa employee. He wasn't afraid to fight, but also wasn't devoid of emotions like a cold-blooded killer. She still hardly knew her new companion, but it felt so comfortable being around him; it was like they had already met before.

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that. You know, you really aren't like any of the ShinRa soldiers we fought in the past. They were always so arrogant and bastardly. How come you're so different?"

"Hey, not everyone working for ShinRa was like that. It's not like that was a pre-requisite for getting a job there. I think most of it was because the old President Augustus ShinRa was so corrupt that it seeped down to the administration and other employees."

"Do you really think that? What about President Rufus ShinRa? I know he tried to rule through fear," Tifa recalled the fight on top of the ShinRa Tower when Sephiroth murdered the late President.

"Really? He said that?" Rufus asked confused. "He always told us that he was going to reform the government after defeating Sephiroth."

"Ah, but you weren't there during what he quoted as his inauguration speech. This was right after we found President Augustus ShinRa murdered with Sephiroth's sword through his back. Rufus ShinRa just seemed so cold and callous."

Rufus smirked, realizing that Tifa had met his half-brother John that night. He wondered how warped the reputation of Rufus ShinRa was because of John. Tifa seemed to think that Rufus was an arrogant, cold, perverted megalomaniac, which he knew he wasn't.

"I guess you wouldn't believe me if I told you that Rufus ShinRa is actually a nice guy."

"No, I don't believe you," Tifa laughed.

"It's true though. I've met the guy personally. He is a nice guy. I think he just comes off the wrong way to some people. It really depends on when you catch him."

"Oh? I guess I've always caught him on his bad days. He was always rude to me," Tifa shrugged.

"He probably wasn't himself those days. I know that the Rufus ShinRa I know would have treated you like a lady," Rufus said sincerely as he watched Tifa laugh.

He started to really love listening to her laugh and watching her smile. He had started to notice the small features of her face such as the small dimple in her right cheek or the way her laugh would always start with a small hiccup, which Rufus thought was rather adorable. He liked seeing this side of Tifa and hoped that he would see it more.

"You really admire him, don't you?" Tifa asked.

"I wouldn't say that I admire him. I think the best way to put it is to say that I know where he's coming from," Rufus sighed.

"I know there are a lot of things that I don't know about him. But you seem to be honest and I think I can trust your judgment."

"Thanks. I'm glad you're being so open-minded," Rufus smiled.

"Well, I remember what happened last time I expressed my very opinionated views on ShinRa," Tifa flushed. "I'm still not quiet over that little embarrassment."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. It was really cute watching you become so flustered," Rufus slipped out as he watched her. "You're really too beautiful for me to ever get angry at you."

Tifa blushed as she heard his words and kept her eyes on the back of Sabina's head. She was too afraid of looking up and staring into his deep-blue eyes. Tifa didn't want to pay attention to the quick beating of her heart or the flutter of her stomach. She wasn't ready to develop a crush on anyone; she wasn't ready to fall for someone else. It was too soon.

"Well, that's good to know. So Yuffie, how are you feeling?" Tifa quickly changed the subject.

"Huh? Who me? Oh, wow! That trick City-boy showed me really works. I just feel so . . . mellow," Yuffie smiled as she stared off over the horizon.

"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling better," Tifa smiled as she turned toward the horizon.

Rufus rode silently as he watched Tifa and Yuffie chat. He felt embarrassed for practically blurting out his feelings to Tifa. He wished there was a nice dark hole for him to crawl into so he could disappear. Rufus ran his fingers through his hair as he watched Tifa. He thought he saw her peeking over at him, but she turned her head quickly away and Rufus sighed. _Great Rufus, way to scare the poor girl off. I have no company, I'm having an identity crisis and now I've turned off the prettiest girl I've ever met. Maybe I should have gotten blown-up in the ShinRa Tower after all._

* * *

A/N: I'm getting married in less than three months now! That has been my excuse for getting this chapter out so late. I've come to realize why so many people decide to head off to Vegas and elope, wedding planning is a full-time job. But hey, I got it out so yay for me! 


	22. Strangers in Paradise

**Chapter 22: Strangers in Paradise**

Reno strained his eyes as he carefully shaved off the rest of the bristles on his head. A large pile of bright red hair lay at his feet on the bathroom floor of his apartment in Junon. He rarely stayed in the small studio room, but it was at times like this that he was grateful he had it: another perk of being a Turk. Rinsing his freshly shaved head under the facet, Reno smirked as he gazed at the mirror. Rude would have been proud of his new sense of fashion.

Thinking about his fellow Turk made Reno grin widely as he thought about how Elena would react to his new hairstyle. It would definitely annoy her to no end. Reno could almost hear her now, _"Reno, what the hell did you do to your hair? You look like the poster-boy for that one cleaning product or something. Good lord, I could use your head as my new mirror, it's so damn shiny."_

Yes, Reno wished Elena and Rude could see him in his newfound splendor and glory. However, those things would have to wait as the Turk grabbed a T-shirt and smelled it to make sure it was clean. He threw on the shirt as he quickly swept the large clumps of hair on the floor to the corner of the bathroom. There wasn't much time to tidy up. He had a job to do and the sooner he got it done, the better for ShinRa.

"Look out world, here I come!"

Reno put on a pair of shades as he headed out into the busy streets of Junon. He blanched as he watched the sea of confused people shuffle through the streets. They all had a certain detached look that reminded Reno of the hellhole everyone loved and hated. They looked like Midgar, walked like Midgar, and even reeked of the foul stench of processed mako courtesy of Midgar.

Reno pitied these people. They had been trapped for so long in a darkened city that now they hardly knew the feeling of the sun shining on their faces or the smells of the fresh seaside air. They were uncertain of what to do with these new sensations. Freedom was that unreachable goal that these people worked hard everyday to obtain. However now that they had it, they realized it was more comfortable being enslaved under the plates of the upper sectors where, though they didn't have sunlight or freedom, they at least had their ambitions. Reno could see it in each of their eyes as he walked through the crowd and he found it to be bitterly ironic.

The dirty faces of the men and women passing through the streets hardly stood out. None of them were the two people he was looking for and Reno cursed knowing that it had been several hours since the Highwind touched down in Junon. The masterminds behind the ShinRa-King Organization were probably already setting up a base of operations. Now Reno only needed to find someone who may have information or who looks like they would know anything.

As Reno eyed the crowd, a strawberry-blond haired woman caught his eye. She was young and looked confident as if she owned Junon, despite the fact that she carried a bag with all her worldly belongings in it. Her form fitting shirt and short mini-shirt left little for the imagination. Reno knew her type. He'd seen it all the time on his visits to the Honeybee Inn. She could tell him anything she knew or saw, but for a price. Luckily for Reno, he always kept an extra wad of gil in his pocket for emergencies like this.

Keeping his eyes on her, Reno bobbed and weaved through the crowd until he was nearly an arm's length apart. He smiled when she turned and winked at him. It looked like she was an especially perceptive woman, exactly the type he was looking for. She flipped her shoulder length hair and motioned for him to follow her. Reno gingerly obliged sneaking into a dark alley that the girl had walked into.

The next thing he knew, she had her hand on his crotch as she started to chew on his earlobe.

"Hey handsome. If you want more where this came from, show me 100 gil and a room. Well?" She breathed huskily into Reno's ear.

"That better give me access to everything sweetcakes, and I mean everything." Reno slowly ran his hands down her smooth body as he slipped some gil into her panties.

"Oh, you're quite the business man, aren't you?" Her bright eyes flashed at him seductively.

"Yeah, now let's get down to business," Reno smirked.

_

* * *

_

Chris and Eric started at the wall as if something was going to materialize in front of them and bite their heads off. ShinRa soldiers had finally cleared all the civilians out of the Southeast corner of Old Midgar. It had been a painstaking task to try and move around all the civilians who had been housed in that area. Some obeyed orders willingly while others refused to move without a bit of force. In the end, the job was completed as a small group of men were in a house staring at a wall. The million dollar question was if this was the right place to start digging so they could speed up the efforts of getting a tunnel dug.

"Did you get the right formulas to convert the old scale to our scale?" Eric asked Chris.

"Yep. It looks like this should be the spot that the tunnel will end up," Chris stared at the wall in the living room of one of the houses of Old Midgar.

"We'll have to tear down this house if that's the case. There's no way we'll fit all those thousands of people through that small door," Eric mused.

"Yeah, we will," Chris said slightly concerned. "Do you think this is the right spot?"

"Honestly, I really don't know Chris. I'm relying on your calculations and that map."

"Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rivers, is this where we gonna dig?" Randy Lawson asked curiously.

"I hope so. I'm almost positive that this is the spot. I just wish I had a little more . . . assurance," Chris sighed.

"What are you waiting for, a sign or something?" Eric gazed at him curiously.

"Well, kinda," Chris said as he put his hand on the wall.

No sooner had Chris spoke; everyone could hear a loud rumbling echoed out of the walls as Chris felt the walls shake violently.

"What the hell!" Chis jumped back as two soldiers quickly ran to the two young executives.

"What was that?" Eric asked.

"I have no idea," Chris ran his hands through his hair.

"Hey, maybe it was your sign," Randy grinned.

"Either that or some sort of seismic activity is going on underground that we don't know about," Eric said as he quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Thomas, Eric here. Do you read me?"

Silence.

"Damnit! Thomas, Eric here. Do you copy?" Eric frantically buzzed.

The sudden dull pop of static poured out from the walkie-talkie. Eric and Chris were relieved when they heard the sounds of coughing and curses from the other line as they tried to listen to Thomas's voice over all the background noise.

_"Eric? This is Thomas. We had a minor problem over here."_

"What's the minor problem and does it have to do with that rumbling we just felt?"

_"Yes, it does. Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace had a bit of an altercation and Mr. Highwind used a grenade."_

"He what?"

_"He used a grenade. That's what caused the minor earthquake," _Thomas coughed.

"What sort of damage are you looking at over there?"

_"I haven't gotten a chance to really take a look. There's still a lot of dust around here and all the miners are evacuating temporarily until the smoke clears."_

"Any casualties or injuries?"

_"Just a few minor scrapes and bruises so far. Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace took the brunt of the force and they appear to be perfectly healthy."_

"That's good. Radio back once you can tell me what sort of damage that grenade did to the mines. Also, make sure Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace have no access to any explosives."

_"Already on that.__ I'll buzz you in a few. Thomas out."_

Eric sighed as he looked over at Chris and Randy. They all stared at each other for a few minutes occasionally looking at the wall.

"Well, I guess we know we're at the right spot," Randy said lightheartedly to break the silence.

Eric looked at Randy almost as if he had sprouted a second head while Chris merely chuckled lightly beside him.

"You know, he is right. That did pretty much confirm that we're in the right area," Chris laughed.

"That's true, though I would have preferred a different method of finding that out," Eric sighed. "I'll go ahead and tell the workers to break down these walls so Randy's crew can start working."

"Let me go tell my boys we'll be diggin' any minute," Randy left the room.

"I better mark the wall so we remember where to dig," Chris pulled out a can of spray paint. "Hey Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think anyone will remember what we're doing for Midgar?"

"Right now, yes. If you're talking about a year from now or fifty years from now, I'm not sure. I guess that'll depend on the historians," Eric readjusted his glasses.

"Yeah, that's true. But what about the family that was originally assigned to this house or those kids who are outside watching us work. Will they remember us?" Chris asked seriously.

"Why the sudden question?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I just kinda wondered if all the long hours and hard work will be remembered in the end. You know, I haven't once heard anyone down here say one 'thank you' since we've been here. Do you think the people actually appreciate what we do?"

"Honestly, I never think about that because if I do, then I'll be too depressed to get my job done. You have to remember that we have a thankless job. No one really knows what we do because they assume the President does it all. It's a harsh reality, but there are ways to see how the people appreciate our jobs. Have you seen the smiles on those kids faces and the families outside? They're happy because they're alive and I'm satisfied knowing that I took part in that. I know I'll probably never hear them say 'Thank you Mr. Rivers,' but all that doesn't matter because for them to be able to feel an inkling of joy means that they're thankful. So to answer your question, yes, I do think they appreciate what we do for them, you just have to look closely to see it."

Chris stood shocked a bit and smiled as he nodded his head in understanding. "I always wondered how you found that drive to work so hard. No wonder you have a higher salary than I do."

"It's all a matter of perspective."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks Eric. That's a real help. I'll learn to open my eyes a bit more."

"No problem. Oh, by the way. Thanks for your hard work Chris," Eric bowed his head.

Chris smiled warmly as those words rekindled his motivation. "You're welcome."

_

* * *

_

In the days prior to Meteor, scientists had noticed that the animals that dwelled in the Midgar Mountains were evacuating. Scientists knew that animals had very astute sense and wondered if they possessed a sixth sense warning them of the large rock in the sky. Unfortunately, no one has ever been able to study the behaviors of the animals in the Midgar Mountains because the scientists, like animals, also had a keen sense and no human in his or her right mind was going to be around the Midgar area willingly when Meteor fell.

But the animals did flee the area like the scientists theorized and now that Meteor was destroyed, they were slowly returning to their mountain home. Some animals were still climbing up the steep mountain side when they heard the mountain rumble beneath them. Their senses peaked as they crouched low fearing the danger that may still be lurking in the mountains. The loud bellowing of the mountain echoed out from the entrance to the Mythrial Mines.

All the animals stopped and listened as they watched the mouth of the cave. Birds had stopped chirping, wolves had stopped howling and every living creature within the vicinity of the cave sat and waited. Minutes passed as not a sound was heard on the mountain side. Even the unruly Midgar Zolem lifted its head out of the swamp and watched nervously. Soon the cave spewed out large black creatures that coughed and roared with laughter as they ran out of the mines. The animals all recognized these creatures as humans and sighed in relief knowing that humans were far too stupid to do anything to them. Sensing that the danger had been abated, the animals returned to their normal routine hoping that the humans weren't going to cause the mountain to crash down on them, but then the animals realized that it wouldn't be too much of a loss if they killed themselves.

Meanwhile down near the entrance to the mines, hordes of men walked out of the cave coughing and laughing as they found someplace to rest along the rocky terrain. The explosion had been a nice excuse to take a break from the hot sweaty mines where the miners had been working all day excavating. A few people were lazing around while others stretched their sore limbs. All of them were snickering at the two dusty men who were the cause of the unexpected explosion.

"Of all of the things you could have thrown at him you threw a grenade? What the hell were you thinking?" Thomas screamed at Cid and Barret as they dusted off their clothes.

"Hey, no one got seriously hurt, right? So stop shitting in yer pants," Cid shrugged.

"You were _lucky_ no one else got hurt."

Barret and Cid didn't pay attention to Thomas as they waved him off and compared battle scars from their earlier scuffle.

"Damn Highwind, ya tryin' to get me to lose my other hand or something?" Barret examined a burn on his left arm.

"You'd look a lot better if ya did," Cid laughed. "Guess I win this one cause I ain't got a scratch on me!"

"Don't you lie to me! I know I got ya good right here," Barret squeezed Cid's right shoulder.

Cid yelped in pain as he punched Barret's injured arm in retaliation.

"Oh Cid! We have to take you to the clinic to get that looked at," Shera panicked.

"Hey, are you two even listening to me?" Thomas said to no avail.

"Don't worry Shera, I'll just pop one of those hi-potions and be as good as new."

"You blew up the last hi-potion, Highwind," Barret yelled.

"Barret, you need to get that arm checked-out too."

"What the fuck am I supposed to do without a hi-potion?"

"Hello! Barret! Cid! I'm talking here." Thomas waved his arms around.

"The clinic will have one, come on you two, let's get going so we can get those injuries treated before they get infected," Shera pleaded as she lead the two injured men by the hand.

"Damnit woman! We can walk on our own," Cid whined as he touched his injured shoulder.

"Aw, cut her some slack man. She's just tryin' to show her love," Barret smiled.

Thomas stood dumbfounded as the pair had completely ignored him. He didn't hear Nanaki telling him that they were always like that or that someone had been calling his name for some time.

"Mr Wheeler! Mr. Wheeler!"

"WHAT!" Thomas snapped.

"Well, I'm glad I finally got your attention," Autumn stood with her arms crossed.

"Oh, Ms. Noval. Um, sorry about that. You just caught me at a bad time," Thomas nervously replied.

"I'm sure I did."

"But I'm guessing you want the inside scoop on the explosion in the mines, correct?"

"You're very perceptive," Autumn smiled sincerely as she pulled out a pen and notepad. "So tell me what happened."

"Well, there was an explosion in the mines just a few minutes ago at the site where the tunnel is being dug. There are no major injuries that we've seen and the digging is only going to be momentarily halted while the dust and smoke clears. After that, we'll get the miners back in so they can continue their work," Thomas said as he straightened up his suit.

"What caused the explosion?"

"Oh, something rather stupid," Thomas stole a glance at Cid and Barret's retreating forms. "Someone threw a grenade at another person in a minor altercation. After this incident I'm going to make sure that there are no grenades in the mines before they begin working again."

"Are the digging efforts compromised because of it?"

"Miraculously, no. The grenade actually helped blow some chunks of rock off of for the tunnel and will make up for the momentary lag."

"That's good news, so why not use explosives all the time?" Autumn scribbled down some notes.

"Are you crazy? Those explosions could jar some rock loose in Old Midgar and kill people if we're not careful. Those two fucking idiots should have known that before they let their primal instincts get the better of them."

Autumn chuckled as she listened to him rant. She was getting to like this man. "So can I quote you on that one?"

"Um, please don't," Thomas blushed.

"Don't worry, I'll paraphrase. So do you anticipate any delays in your timetable for getting the tunnel dug?"

"None at the moment."

"Are there any other updates or tidbits of information that you're willing to share?" Autumn gave Thomas her best smile, hoping that it would persuade him to talk more.

Her smile was affecting him in the way she had hoped, but unfortunately it worked a bit too well as Thomas sputtered incomprehensible words and phrases that even he didn't understand what he was saying.

"Um, I'm sorry Mr. Wheeler, but could you repeat that again?"

"Oh, I didn't realize I was mumbling," Thomas laughed nervously. "Well, um, what I was saying is that, er. Well, we don't have any new information other than what I told you about the explosion. Um, let's see. Oh yeah! There is a tunnel that will be started in Old Midgar by a group of miners that will be dug out to meet this tunnel. That's about it really."

Autumn jotted all the notes down as she nodded her head, pleased that she got some new information. She knew that heading down to the mines was the best decision she's ever made. Now all she had to do was be patient and if all went well, the scoop of the century would fall right into her hands.

"Thanks for your time Mr. Wheeler," Autumn winked as she waved him good-bye.

"Yeah, anytime," Thomas waved back and grinned.

"Remember, you still have to update me every half-an hour," Autumn yelled back as she walked off to make a phone call to her editor.

Thomas only nodded his head in acknowledgement and paused for a moment as he let the image of her toned ass and hips swaying from side to side become etched into his memory.

"You look happy," Nanaki said as he walked up to Thomas.

"Who, me? I do?"

"Yes, you do," Nanaki grinned. "But I wanted to let you know that the mines should be cleared up of all the smoke and dust. We can head back in whenever you're ready."

"Oh, that's good. I'll go ahead and lead the first group of miners back in. Could you wait outside and make sure that they all get back into the mines? I don't want to leave anyone behind and have them wander into the swamps without protection."

"No problem," Nanaki bowed his head.

He had no objections to staying outside a little while longer. The close confines of the mines were getting to be too much for his olfactory system. He could handle a few sweaty humans, but not over a hundren big men who were in desperate need of a bath. He took a deep breath of the fresh air and let the oxygen clear his mind.

Nanaki took another deep breath and concentrated on all the different smells in the air. The faint smell of processed mako mixed with the sulfuric smells of the swamps were the first he sensed. He blocked out the smells of all of the miners still outside since they didn't smell any better outside than they did inside the mines. Then he sensed one other scent that seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Curious, Nanaki walked around the area sniffing the air to see where the scent was the strongest. It smelled like the scent was coming from the mountains above the mines. He felt someone watching him as he sniffed the air. Looking up, Nanaki thought he saw a faint flicker of a red blur hiding behind one of the rocks at the top of the mountain. He wanted to climb up the cliffs and explore the mountainside where the scent was coming and where he saw the blur, but it was too far away from the mines. Thomas had asked him to make sure all the miners got back into the mines and he couldn't sacrifice his duty to quench his curiosity. Nanaki reminded himself that once he had the time, he would have to explore the mountains around Midgar and find out who belonged to the scent that seemed so familiar.

_

* * *

_

Tifa faintly listened to Yuffie blabbering on about how beautiful the ocean looked and cool the salty breeze was against her face. The martial artist was feeling guilty for ignoring John, but she didn't want her feelings to betray her. He had told her that she was beautiful, something she'd heard countless times. But the only time it ever really meant anything to her was when she heard it from Cloud. Tifa could still hear Cloud's voice as he shyly commented on how she looked in her blue dress while waiting in the basement of Don Corneo's. If it weren't for the fact that Cloud was also wearing a dress, Tifa would have found the scene to be touching and sweet.

But now came another man who had that same shyness and this man was sincere with his words and he wasn't wearing a dress. The pain of losing Cloud was still too strong and it was just too soon to start thinking about anyone else. Was it even right for her to fall in love with anyone else after Cloud? Tifa knew he wanted her to be happy, but she was uncomfortable with the idea of moving on. She didn't think she should start thinking about how cute John was or how hypnotizing his eyes were. _Damn, I sound so desperate. Get a grip Tifa. It's not like you haven't had guys who were interested in you. _

Tifa wanted to talk to Yuffie about her emotional dilemma, but couldn't while John was silently riding next to them. Hopefully she would have some time for some "girl talk" once they got to Costa Del Sol.

"Oh look Tifa! Land!" Yuffie shouted.

The older woman smiled as she watched the ninja practically fall off her chocobo. Tifa stole a glance at John who had a stoic look on his face. He slowly turned his head towards Tifa's at that moment and made brief eye contact with her before she quickly turned back to face the shores of Costa Del Sol. Yes, Tifa felt guilty. If it wasn't the guilt of betraying her love for Cloud, it was the guilt of ignoring John. This was simply not a win-win situation for her.

The trio approached land just outside of the tropical resort town. Yuffie was the first to express her glee of reaching their destination as she jumped off her chocobo and kissed the ground. The next few minutes were filled the sounds of Yuffie's cries of joy and displays of her acrobatic skills as she did cartwheels and handstands in the grass as her teammates watched in amusement.

"Well, glad to see that she hasn't lost her usual charm," Rufus smiled as he watched the ninja's boisterous celebration.

"Um, yeah. Well, that's Yuffie for ya," Tifa nervously replied.

"So . . . I guess I should go find an inn for us."

"Oh, we don't need an inn. We bought ShinRa's old summer villa last time we were here so we'll be staying there."

"ShinRa's summer villa? Well, I guess I'll find some stables for the chocobos or something," Rufus muttered.

"No, I got it. You should go with Yuffie to the villa since she knows where it is. I'll put the chocobos away," Tifa quickly grabbed the harness on all the chocobos and walked toward the stables.

Rufus stared dejectedly at Tifa's back as she led the chocobos down the road. He could sense how nervous she was during their brief conversation. He was trying his best to be friendly, but it wasn't working. Sighing, he walked toward the villa that he had put on the market shortly after his father's death. It was comical knowing that ShinRa's sworn enemies were the ones that bought the villa and that he would be staying there again as an AVALANCHE member.

He turned to look for Yuffie, only finding that she had already bounded off towards the villa like a little kid running after an ice-cream truck. Luckily for Rufus, Yuffie left a trail of dust behind her that was impossible to ignore and he also remembered where the villa was located. Too bad he didn't have as much luck with women. First Tifa was ignoring him and now Yuffie had abandoned him. No one would believe that Rufus ShinRa was the poor lost man standing in the middle of the streets of Costa Del Sol. No one but Rufus ShinRa himself.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he walked down the cobblestone streets. There wasn't anything interesting going on in the city. The bars will all busy mixing fruity concoctions for customers as a group of children kicked a ball along the side streets. As Rufus walked closer to the residential district, a small crowd was curiously gathered near one of the less populated alleyways.

A few police officers were trying to keep the crowd behind the yellow tape as an ambulance was parked only a few feet away. Rufus could hear the teenagers 'oh' and 'ah' as they watched in morbid fascination. They all talked about the man being carted away by the paramedics in a body-bag.

"Hey, did you see the dead dude?"

"Yeah, he was shot man. Blam! Right through the eyes."

"Damn, sucks to be him," the teenager laughed along with his friends.

Rufus walked closer, weaving through the crowd as he watched the scene unfold. Police were taking photographs of the dumpster and one of them was sealing a rifle into a clear plastic bag. There was nothing more for him to see, but the baritone voice of a detective perked his ears as he watched him speak to a reporter.

"The cause of death seems to be a single bullet to the forehead. We are still going to conduct an autopsy to make sure of that. Unfortunately, we don't know the name of the deceased. The only clues we have to his identity is that he is a Caucasian male approximately 6 feet tall with piercings on his ears and the only other known visible markings on the deceased is a black tattoo on the lower extremity of his left arm in the shape of a snake. The deceased was found with a loaded rifle with a clip completely full nearby, ruling out suicide. No unknown fingerprints have been found on the dumpster or the surrounding area. We do suspect foul-play and think it may be a gang-related incident. There have been no witnesses to the crime and so far we have found little to no clues, though it is still early in our investigation."

He had heard enough. Rufus knew even before seeing the scene or listening to the detective's droning voice who killed the man. He hadn't been trained by the Turks just for the fun of it and Rufus could spot their skilled handiwork. The only thing he worried about was who the dead man was and whether or not he could have ended up dead in the dumpster if the Turks found him. Rufus didn't want to take that chance and hoped that wherever the Turks were, they weren't here in Costa Del Sol waiting for the right opportunity to take him out.

Now there was one more thing to worry about. In his gloom, Rufus didn't notice the bikini-clad woman in front of him until it was too late as he accidentally bumped into her.

"Oh, sorry about that, I didn't notice where I was going," Rufus quickly apologized as he started to walk off.

Before he could take a step, the woman's arms were on his seductively stroking his arm.

"Oh, that's okay handsome."

Rufus swallowed hard knowing that any woman who came onto a complete stranger had to either be extremely ugly or charge 50 gil an hour. After turning around and almost gawking at her, he knew that she had to be one of the later, which meant one thing and one thing only: Rufus had to get away from her.

_

* * *

_

Tifa shook her head in agitation as she led the chocobos to the stables. She had just acted like an ass in front of John because she didn't know what to do with her emotions. It wasn't fair to him, but she wasn't ready for anything beyond a friendship and that was what Tifa needed the most right now: a friend.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Tifa muttered to herself, ignoring the odd look that the old man who ran the stables was giving her.

"Ah, Ms. Lockheart. I see you're taking a vacation after saving the planet?" the old man greeted the well-known terrorist and customer.

"Um, not really a vacation Mr. Wiggins. We're just resting for the moment. We have to take off in the morning," Tifa smiled, glad to get her mind off of her present emotional dilemma.

"Resting? Here? It sounds like you're still searching the entire planet for Sephiroth," the old man gently led the chocobos to some nice warm stables.

"Unfortunately we kinda, sorta are, but not really for Sephiroth specifically," Tifa nervously bit her lip.

"Will the planet ever be completely at peace?" the old man sighed. "What are we facing now?"

Tifa's shoulders slumped as she watched the helpless expression on the poor man's face. She remembered the last time they had been in Costa Del Sol how excited he had been to hear that AVALANCHE was going to stop Sephiroth and finally bring peace to the world. Mr. Wiggins probably had never seen the world truly at peace since ShinRa had been in power for generations. She hated to disrupt his momentary time of bliss, but he needed to know what was out there and Tifa needed to find it before anyone else got hurt.

"Mr. Wiggins. Have you seen any sort of creatures or heard about anything strange happening around here?"

"No, there hasn't been anything strange here recently."

"Well . . . there's a demon somewhere out there in the wilderness and we're trying to track him down before it can hurt anyone else."

"Good god. I take it from the tone of your voice, that thing has already done some damage."

Tifa could only nod in agreement, still battered by the events of Fort Condor.

"I'll be sure to let you know if I hear anything," Mr. Wiggins sluggishly walked to one end of the stables. "Same type of feed as last time I take it?"

"Yes, sir. That would be great. Be sure to get them some extra water. They've had a long day," Tifa lovingly stroked Sabina's soft golden feathers.

"I'll be sure to do that Ms. Lockheart. By the way, I would check by Gold Saucer for information on that demon you're hunting. Dio always keeps his ear low to the ground so he may know where to find it."

"Thank you Mr. Wiggins," Tifa smiled.

"No Ms. Lockheart. Thank you," the old man bowed, grateful for the good deeds she and her group have done.

"You're welcome," Tifa paused at the entrance to the stables before turning towards town.

She was glad she had talked to Mr. Wiggins. Now she knew where she needed to go next. Things were going to be alright and Tifa knew from experience that they would. Because at the most pitiful and depressing times in her life, a silver lining would always appear before her in some form or another.

When she was a young girl her mother died suddenly. Hardly anything could tear her away from her mourning until she stumbled upon her mother's diary. The words written in that diary reminded Tifa of how much her mother loved and cherished her. Those words recounted the first time that both her parents had fallen in love, the times when she was still stuck in her mother's womb and the excitement she felt when Tifa took her first steps or spoke her first words. Words that had kept her from completely breaking down into a heap of emotion; words that she wished she could have read before fatefully climbing up Mount Nibel and injuring herself and Cloud in the process; words that shared her mother's most intimate secrets and proof that she was her mother's daughter. Because her mother would not have wanted her untimely death to destroy her family and the last gift Tifa's mother gave her was to show her how precious life was and that she was loved.

She was even able to find consolation in her strength after all her friends in Nibelheim left for the bigger cities. Cloud's departure was the one that hit her the hardest. But that darn silver lining was not going to fail her as it took shape in the form of her mentor, Zangan. He taught her strength both mentally and physically. He shaped her into a better person teaching her to use her skills to help others in need. He showed her that it was futile to sit idly and hope the world will become a better place if you do nothing to help. Zangan knew that Tifa could help change the world and she certainly proved it.

Not even the Great General Sephiroth was able to kill everything that was Tifa Lockheart. The scar he left her served only as a reminder of the day she almost lost her life and Tifa was determined not to let that happen again. In a strange way, it also reminded her that Cloud truly did keep that promise to save her when she was in need. She would have died if he hadn't show-up. He was the main reason she lived that day and she swore to herself that she would find him again after she had woken up under Barret's care in Midgar.

The next few years were a testament to the lessons she had learned. She had joined AVALANCE and found Cloud. But those were only the first steps that helped lead her on the path to saving the world and destroying Sephiroth. Yes, that is what has been keeping Tifa Lockheart going and damned if she was going to let anything bring her down. At least anything except that bleach-blonde bikini-clad woman trying to get a bit too friendly with her companion John.

Furious, Tifa marched forward keeping her eyes focused on the pair. John was nervously stepping away from the woman while she slithered her tanned skinned body closer to him, probably oblivious to his disinterest. Tifa was going to show that woman a thing or two about breach of personal space.

_

* * *

_

"So how long are you staying in Costa Del Sol? I bet you're hot under that shirt, go ahead and take it off. Show me those killer abs you must be hiding," the scantily clad woman said with a wink.

"Well, er, I really shouldn't. I'm meeting a friend somewhere and really have to get going," Rufus tried to back away from the strange woman talking to him.

"Oh, come on. A cute guy like you could surely spend some time with a hot babe like me," the woman reached out for his arm.

Just before she could grab him a gloved-hand quickly shot out and slapped it away. Rufus breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Tifa stand between him and the woman.

"Oh Tifa, thank god you're here," Rufus relaxed.

But his words fell on deaf ears as Tifa and the woman both glared at each other with nothing but thoughts of all the horrid things that should befall their opponent. None of them budged even as one of the blond-woman's friends urged her to step away whispering, "Claudia, you don't want to mess with her." Unfortunately, Claudia didn't pay attention to her friend's warning and proceeded to piss off one of the fighters who helped take down Sephiroth.

"I think you interrupted our conversation, bitch," Claudia defiantly put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me," Tifa simply raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"You heard me, or is it that most of your brains have gone to your boobs, which are probably fake. I guess that's the most I could expect from a dumb bitch who's obviously jealous that she can't nab a cutie like him," as she pointed to Rufus standing behind Tifa.

Tifa merely stood calmly as she listened to Claudia rant and rave. She smirked as she watched the woman's friends try in vain to pull her away from the situation. The poor woman truly had no idea of who Tifa was.

"If you know what's best for you, I suggest you listen to your friends and leave."

"Not on your life, bitch!" Claudia raised her hand up to slap Tifa across the face.

Her hand never connected as she felt body spin around and a sharp pain shooting up her arm and shoulders. Claudia's sandaled feet were on her toes trying to alleviate the pain in her arms, but Tifa had her arm in a firm grip twisted behind her back.

"Your name's Claudia, right?" Tifa calmly asked.

Claudia only nodded her head unable to think of anything to say to her captor.

"Well, Claudia, consider this a warning. The next time I see you making unwelcome advances towards my friend, I'll make sure you regret it. No means no. Do you understand?"

Claudia nodded her head again.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," Tifa tightened her grip on the woman's arm.

"Ah! Yes! Yes! I understand," she frantically shouted.

"Good. Then you'll be a good girl from now on?"

"Yes!"

Tifa released her hold on the woman and watched as she slumped to the ground in slight pain. Claudia's friends quickly came to her aide and whispered their apologies to one of the planet's saviors as they tended to their friend.

"Thanks Tifa," Rufus said cautiously to her, hoping that she wasn't going to twist his arm behind his back like she had done to the other woman.

Tifa turned to him and relaxed as she saw the nervousness in his posture. She realized that she hadn't apologized to him for avoiding him earlier. It was probably best to go ahead and talk to him before she got too nervous or scared to even talk to him.

"Oh, no problem. Hey, let's go somewhere a bit more private, we need to talk," Tifa pointed to the beach.

Rufus didn't particularly like the sound of it, but knew that it was better to start talking rather than be ignored all the time. "Yeah, I think we do," nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, let's go towards the beach, but first . . . " Tifa turned toward Claudia's quivering form. "By the way, mine are real and if I hear you insult another person's body before knowing the facts, you'll wish you'd never been born."

Rufus sighed and walked next to Tifa making sure he wasn't too far away or too close to her. He could feel her anger still emanating from her body as she walked forward with confidence. The only thing that lightened up the mood was the loud shriek of Claudia's voice as the pair heard her shout, "That was Tifa Lockheart! Fuck me!"

_

* * *

_

"Thank goodness I'm finally free of that woman," Rufus lay down in the sand.

"How did you get to talking to her anyway?" Tifa sat down next to him.

"Well, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and sort of bumped into her. After that, she wouldn't let go of me. I hate to think of what she wanted," Rufus shuddered, knowing that Claudia probably would have sucked him dry of his money, his life, or both.

"I know how you feel. Guys have done that to me more than I'd like. I guess there are women who also can't understand when a person isn't interested."

"Yeah, I'm just glad that you helped me out back there. I didn't think I could get away from her without retaining my dignity if you hadn't shown up."

"Yeah, I guess," Tifa coughed.

"Um, so," Rufus sensed Tifa's discomfort. "Wanna head back to the villa?"

"Not yet. I have something to talk to you about and I need to get it off my chest," Tifa breathed.

Rufus sat up and crossed his legs and he gave Tifa his undivided attention. He watched her copy his position and face him as she bit her lip nervously.

"John, I apologize for giving you the cold shoulder recently. I'm, I'm just not used to being complimented like that by a friend. You're a really nice guy and I do like you, but I don't know you very well and to hear something like that, well . . . it just embarrassed me, that's all," Tifa bit her lip.

"That's okay, I think I understand. So, what is there that you want to know about me?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you said that you don't really know me, I guess now's a better time than ever to get to know me," Rufus said as Tifa stared at him cautiously. "I mean, by no means does this imply that I expect you to start dating me or anything. No, that doesn't sound right. Well, what I meant to say is, I just want you to get to know me better so you can trust me. That's all."

"You want to talk, just as friends?"

"Yeah, just as friends," Rufus's face softened.

"I can do that," Tifa smiled as she breathed a sigh of relief. "So where were you born?"

"Midgar, though I grew up in Junon. How about you? Yuffie mentioned that you lived in Nibelheim, was it?"

"Yep, I was born and raised in the quaint little town of Nibelheim. Though, it's not really my home anymore."

"ShinRa took it over, didn't they?"

Tifa nodded her head as she bit her lip in frustration.

"I'm sorry. Yuffie told me about that too. I guess the company still has a lot of atoning to do to make up for all their mistakes in the past," Rufus mused thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I don't know if I'll ever forgive them for what they did to my family and friends. It still hurts to think about it," Tifa shivered unconsciously. "Let's talk about something less depressing. How about your parents, what were they like?"

"My parents?" Rufus sat surprised. "I really didn't get to know them very well. I was never too close to my father and my mother . . . she was beautiful. She used to sing to me when I was a kid. She tucked me into bed and all sorts of nice things you'd expect your mother to do."

"She sounds wonderful. I'd love to meet her sometime."

"I'm sorry Tifa, but my mother passed away when I was ten. She would have loved you though."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?"

"She died while pregnant with my baby brother. Something about her body not being able to handle carrying another baby. She collapsed one day while she was playing with me outside and we rushed her to the hospital, but it was too late. Neither she nor the baby survived," Rufus frowned at the bitter memory. "You know, that was probably the only time I ever saw my old man cry."

"Guess you really don't like your father."

"Nope."

"Where is he now?"

"He's dead. He was murdered a month ago in Midgar," Rufus replied, intentionally leaving out the name of his murderer.

The pair sat silently next to each other for a few minutes as they both stared off into the horizon. Tifa broke the awkward silence as she finally spoke.

"I know I didn't want to talk about anything depressing, but since you told me about your parents, I should tell you about mine. My mother died when I was ten, the same age you were. She was up in the Nibelheim Mountains guiding some ShinRa employees to the reactor site when a pack of wolves attacked. She fended them off to save the ShinRa workers, but she didn't make it back to town. My father was murdered by Sephiroth in that horrible incident five years ago. After my father died, I nearly lost it and Sephiroth almost killed me. But I'm still here now . . . and I'm alive," Tifa finished that last part in a whisper.

"You must hate ShinRa for taking part in your parent's deaths."

"A bit. I know that the ShinRa workers didn't want my mother to die and they weren't planning on Sephiroth going insane . . . but they've caused me so much pain. I want it all to end. I want to know that ShinRa is going to stop hurting people and finally do something to help."

"I'm sure that Reeve will do just that since he's now the President. And if the chance ever arose where I became President, I promise you that ShinRa will start helping the people instead of hurting them," Rufus smiled knowing it was the truth.

Tifa chuckled, "I'm sure you will. But do you honestly think you'll become President of ShinRa?"

"Maybe I am and you just don't know it," Rufus laughed.

"Yeah, right. And Yuffie never actually _steals_ materia, she just _borrows_ it," Tifa laughed.

"Well, she has given it back to you all, so I guess that could technically count as borrowing."

"You're only saying that because she hasn't taken anything from you yet. Are you sure you aren't missing any gil or anything?"

"Oh, I'm sure. I don't really have anything of value on me," Rufus emptied his pockets for more emphasis. "Well, except for this pocket lint."

"Pocket lint? That's all you have?"

"Yeah, now I can allot my fortune in pocket lint," he said absent mindedly as he blew the lint off his hand.

Tifa sat and imagined John sitting on a throne made of pocket lint with a pocket lint crown and scepter. She then imagined Yuffie coming up behind him and stealing all his pocket lint. The image was very comical as she put her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Rufus stared at her as he watched her holding her mouth and her face turn red. He had no idea what she found funny.

"Tifa, is there something funny? Cause I'm definitely missing something here," Rufus eyed her wearily.

Tifa still sat trying to hold in her laughter as she shook her head.

"Is it something about my pocket lint?"

The comment finally sent Tifa over the edge and she fell down onto her back laughing heartily. Rufus stared at the woman as she rolled around in the sand and laughed. He couldn't help but laugh himself as he watched her smiling joyfully over some thing only Tifa knew about. He was fairly certain that she was laughing at his expense, but since laughter is contagious, it didn't take long for him to join Tifa on the sand laughing until their sides hurt. After several minutes of almost endless laughter, the pair lay down in the sand exhausted.

"I haven't laughed like that in a while. That felt good," Tifa rested her hands on her stomach.

"Yeah, it really did. So what were we laughing at again?" Rufus asked.

"You don't want to know," Tifa shook her head, embarrassed that something so trivial set her off into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah, you're right. I probably don't. Who knows what your twisted little mind was thinking," Rufus teased.

Tifa lightly punched him in the arm as she pouted. "Hey! Take that back!"

"Not until you tell me what you were laughing at."

"It's too embarrassing. It was something really stupid anyway."

"Oh, well in that case you'll be known to me as Tifa 'the one with a demented mind' Lockheart," Rufus crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah! Well, you'll be known to me as John 'Prince of the pocket lint' Woolfe," Tifa said before erupting into another fit of laughter.

"Prince of the pocket lint? That's the best thing you could come up with?"

"Yes," Tifa said between giggles.

Rufus smiled as he watched her slowly control her laughter. She looked so beautiful as she lay happily in the sand. A part of him wanted to bend down and kiss her on her lips while another part of him wanted to see if she was ticklish. He knew that both choices would probably result in Tifa's fist in his face so he opted to just watch her as she gazed at the darkening sky.

"You know, I really enjoyed talking to you," Tifa smiled brightly.

"I did too. I'm glad you can talk to me." _Even if it's just as friends._

"Well, it's getting late. We should get back to the villa," Tifa sighed as she dusted off the sand.

Rufus followed suit and they both brushed off any extra sand off their bodies before walking back to the villa, occasionally joking about little things. They finally arrived at the villa, noticing that the lights were on inside.

"I guess Yuffie's in," Tifa mused as she opened the door with her key.

Neither of them was ready for the sight they saw as Yuffie sat on the couch with a teenaged boy locked in a battle of tongue wrestling. The two teens didn't even hear the door open as they continued their exploration of each other's anatomy. Stunned, Tifa and Rufus slowly backed out of the room and closed the door silently as they walked away from the villa, never looking back.

* * *

A/N: Getting married this Saturday! I don't know when the next chapter is going to be posted, but I do have part of it done. I'll try to get it out as soon as I can, but don't hold your breath. I'm not sure if I'll be in a writing mood after the wedding. 


	23. The Witching Hour

**Chapter 23: The Witching Hour**

The moon dimly lit the ground as only a thin sliver of silver shined in the night sky. Ralph Clark stared at the small curved silver light smiling back at him as he smoked a cigarette. He had the night watch tonight and it was a quiet, peaceful and boring night. Just the type of night he hoped to have.

Ralph would rather be watching the back of his eyelids right now, but instead he was standing on top of what was once the First Bank of Midgar and keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. Unfortunately, Ralph never took his job seriously. The only thing occupying his mind right now was blowing smoke out of his mouth and watching it dissipate into the sky.

Were he more alert, he probably would have sensed someone creeping up along the rubble of Midgar. He probably would have also heard the soft breathing of someone sneaking up behind him. But then Angel did take her job seriously and she was being very careful. Even if Ralph had been alert, there was nothing he could have done to stop her from twisting his head sharply until there was a sickening snap.

Angel dragged the dead man's body behind some rubble as she quickly undid his uniform. Ralph was a short man, but luckily for Angel, he was her height. The blue uniform fit snuggly and Angel quickly tucked all her auburn hair underneath the large helmet. Smoothing out the wrinkles, she polished the brass nameplate with the words "R. Clark" and stood admiring her new apparel. After dumping some rubble on top of the dead man's body, Angel took a deep breath and stood up tall as she walked towards the entrance to Old Midgar.

Two soldiers stood at the entrance chatting while they held rifles in ready position. She silently listened as the pair talked about something she wasn't familiar with.

"Did you hear from Pete about how that creature killed all those monsters in the Kalm Plains?"

"Yeah, I did. Kinda creeps you out knowing that thing is still around. Makes me hate guard duty at night."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I just hope that damn thing is on the other side of the world right now."

Angel controlled her breathing as she walked towards the guards. They hardly gave her a second look after seeing her quickly salute in her stolen ShinRa uniform. She smirked as she walked past the two and stared down the elevator shaft that seemed to descend to the center of the planet. The only things that would get her down the shaft were a crane that had no one operating it and a rusty ladder attached to the side of the shaft. Shaking off her fears, she made her way down the ladder hoping she didn't raise any suspicions with the two other soldiers. She could still hear the two men chatting as she made her way down and breathed a sigh of relief.

Angel descended down the ladder for what seemed like an eternity as she finally planted both of her feet on the ground. The sights and sounds of the underground city reminded her of the slums in Midgar, but much darker. The streets and sidewalks were still busy with people even the in late hours of the night. Thousands of buildings lined the walls in a spiraling vortex that made her head spin. Walking through the crowds Angel felt like she had walked back in time to the days when Old Midgar used to be the center of civilization.

She noticed a group of miners digging a large hole in the wall in the Southwest corner of the city. Street lamps where glowing with light and everything looked like a normal city that had been running for years. As she stood in the center of the city, she looked up and gaped at how the large metal ceiling was the only thing standing between all of these people and tons of debris.

Standing around she was lucky that no one really paid any attention to her, though she did notice the large number of ShinRa soldiers patrolling the area. Angel knew that if she walked around with authority, no one would question her. Only one man who was wearing civilian clothing seemed to stare at her with piqued interest, but she brushed him off thinking that he was just another typical male trying to ask her out on a date. Everything was going according to her plans. She had overcome the hardest obstacle and found a way inside of Old Midgar. Now all she needed to do was locate her targets and eliminate them.

* * *

The bonfire burned brightly as Elly stared into its inviting flames. Her mother stood protectively beside her as she wept along with the many other residents of Fort Condor. They were all in mourning. It provided little comfort knowing that the creature that had murdered many of the men in the Fort was still out there alive. The rag-tag group of bikers that had driven to Fort Condor in a drunken battered mess were hardly what the elders would call suitable protectors.

But the Fort was in need and it was better to have the large cursing men on their side rather than against them. Fort Condor couldn't afford to sustain another attack from Chaos without someone who was willing to fight. The group of bikers seemed less than enthusiastic about staying to fight off some flying monster than they were to drink the Fort's supply of alcohol and eat their food. But the elders were willing to tolerate some things in these desperate times.

Elly rubbed her eyes as she mourned the death of her father. There were over thirty men who lost their lives that morning. Her father was the first victim. The baby condor slept soundly in her arms as she stroked its soft feathers. She protectively held the baby condor closer to her arms as one of the bikers walked lazily past her. The large man yawned as he scratched his arm underneath a red band and hobbled through the crowds. She didn't trust any of these men, especially their leader who was talking loudly with a few of his buddies. Elly could practically hear everything the man was saying.

"I can't believe that we let those three get the best of us. We're better than that. We're Red Riders," the dirty-blonde said as he downed a beer.

"Nah, don't you worry Jagger. They just got us on a bad day, ya know."

"Bad day or not, I think that stupid punk who gave me the bloody nose was that dipshit kid I used to know back in the day. He was the kid who gave me this," Jagger pointed to the scar on his chin.

"You mean that skinny-ass punk back there gave you that? No way! I don't believe it man," the man named Shorty shook his head in disbelief.

"Well believe it cause he did. It was a long time ago when I was only fifteen. The kid who gave me this scar was just lucky."

"Kinda like those three today, huh? They were just lucky."

"Yeah, they were lucky. But I know that the guy was little Johnny from the slums. Remember? He was that snot who had a whore of a mother. You know, how he was able to give me the scar?"

"No, how?"

"Well let me tell you Shorty. He sucker punched me and then kicked me in the chin. That punk's damn shoes cut me," Jagger said bitterly.

"That kid sucker punched you?"

"Yeah, he was whining about his mama dying or some shit like that. He was the type of kid that I beat up all the time in the slums. Never gave me a problem. But that day when I came up to him to pound on him like I usually did, he actually fought back," Jagger took a swig of his beer.

"But, you were stronger than him, so it was no big deal, right?"

"Yeah, I was stronger. I could hit harder and that's all that mattered. But for whatever reason, the kid fought back and fought back hard. He was swinging at me like a maniac. I didn't think that a guy that small had so much in him. I was still on top in the fight, but then the punk landed a sucker punch to my gut and then kicked me in the face."

"But you came back and beat him to a pulp afterwards, right?" Shorty asked.

"No, I never got the chance. The damn bastard ran away leaving me with a bloody chin. Damn coward. I tried to find him, but I never saw him again until now. I will tell you though Shorty, when I do get my hands on him, I'm going to do more than just give him a scar on his chin. He's going to get his pretty little face smashed in real good," Jagger smirked.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Shorty cheered as he raised his glass of beer.

The thunderous cheer of the Red Riders stung in Elly's ears as she watched them drink near the bonfire. She wished that AVALANCHE were here to protect them and not the inconsiderate drunkards who were here now. She wanted to be stronger so she could protect the Fort from any monsters. She remembered how strong the members of AVALANCHE were and their nobility. Elly swore to herself that someday she would be as strong as the members of AVALANCHE and she would protect Fort Condor. The burning fire of the bonfire crackled and popped as if in agreement with the young girl's vow as the departing spirits of those who died today smiled and gave their blessings to the young girl with the iron will.

* * *

The light drone of florescent lights were the only sounds that were keeping him company. Melissa and Sara were asleep in the Presidential Suite and he hadn't gotten any reports in the last hour that were pressing. Then night was rather peaceful despite the last few weeks. Reeve sighed as he watched the multiple colors of the city bend and flex as the waves washed by. His life was in a constant state of motion; bending and flexing like the waves.

Life as the President of ShinRa was no easy task and Reeve hoped that there was someone out there who could lead the company after he left. He was going to keep his promise to Melissa, because the world didn't matter if she and Sara weren't a part of his family.

A light knock on the door awakened him from his silent reverie.

"Come in."

"Excuse me Mr. President. Is it alright if I have a word with you?" General Matthews saluted as he walked into the office.

"Sure. Please, have a seat," Reeve gestured to the chair. "What brings you here at this late hour?"

"I have a concern that I wished to voice to you Mr. President," the older man said formally.

"Go ahead."

"Well, I wanted to let you know that I trust the Turks report that Rufus ShinRa will eventually return to claim his office, but I wanted to express my personal opinion regarding Mr. ShinRa's Presidency." General Matthews sighed as he picked a piece of lint off of his uniform before continuing. "I do not think that Rufus ShinRa is fit to be the President of this company and should not be allowed to return to office."

Reeve stood shocked at what General Matthews was insinuating.

"And who do you suggest take the role of President after Rufus ShinRa returns?"

"Honestly, I think you should do it Sir."

Reeve's heart plummeted as he heard the General's words. He knew that the General meant well in what he suggested, but Reeve wasn't sure if he had the heart to remain President. All he wanted was his family, nothing else.

"I'll . . . I'll have to think about it. I was hoping that Rufus ShinRa would take over after he returned. I really wasn't expecting to stay as the President, now that my family is here. What makes you think that Rufus is unfit?"

General Matthews shifted in his chair as he struggled for the right words.

"To be blunt, I don't trust him."

"Don't trust him?" Reeve asked bewildered.

"Yes. For the short time I was able to serve under Rufus, he had these odd moments where some days he would act like a perfect gentleman, and others he would be a ruthless tyrant. I know now that it was because Rufus had a body-double. My problem with this is that I don't know which one was the real Rufus ShinRa. I don't know if the man whose birthright is to be the President of ShinRa is a homicidal maniac or a man perfectly capable of doing his job. For all I know the body-double was the gentleman. I just can't trust ShinRa in the hands of another maniac."

"I understand your concerns. Unfortunately, I don't know what Rufus is really like. I could never tell him apart from his body-double, only the Turks seemed to be able to do that. But I think I know what you mean when you're talking about the drastic personality change. They really were two different people, despite appearances," Reeve said.

"Do you think I'm overreacting then?"

"No, hardly. Though I think we should give Rufus a chance. Just to find out whether or not he truly is fit to be President."

"What if he's not fit?" General Matthews asked seriously.

"Then I'm sure AVALANCHE would help us convince him otherwise," Reeve laughed.

"Thank you Mr. President."

"No, thank you for voicing your concerns. I'm glad we can be so candid with each other. And I'm glad that you trust me," Reeve smiled.

"You're an honest man Mr. President. ShinRa needs someone like you to pull them through these tough times," General Matthews smiled as he stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, it is late and I need to turn in for the night. Good night Mr. President."

"Good night, General Matthews," Reeve watched the man salute.

Reeve smiled silently to himself as he tried to stifle the yawn about to escape his lips. Looking out into the ocean, the waters seemed calmer as the lights wavered in the rippling waters. He silently left his office and walked down the halls where ShinRa soldiers lined the walls. They each stood at attention and saluted as he walked past. Two heavily armed soldiers guarded the doors to the Presidential Suite and Reeve gave them both an appreciative look as they let him through. His family was safer than they have ever been in their entire lives and he had Reno to thank for that.

As he walked into the bedroom relief flooded his senses as all the anxiety of the day melted from his body. His wife and daughter were soundly sleeping in the large king-sized bed, both with peaceful looks on their faces. It was so tempting to crawl straight into bed in his business suit. His body yearned for the soft feel of the bed and fluffy pillow.

He could spare a few minutes to change into something more comfortable. Reeve searched the room to find the bathroom and to his surprise, saw a neatly folded pair of pajamas waiting for him. He wasn't sure if this was Junon's hospitality or Melissa's kindness. Either was fine with him at this moment in time. The soft cotton of the fabric felt like a breath of fresh air from his stiff business suit.

"Reeve, did you find your PJs?" A tired voice whispered behind him.

"Oh, Mel. Sorry, did I wake you?" Reeve turned around startled.

Melissa shook her head with a smile. "I was waiting for you."

"I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"It's alright. I didn't mind."

The pair crept silently back into the master bedroom, trying not to wake their daughter asleep on the bed.

Reeve hesitated as he approached the bed. Nervously, he eyed the long sofa only a few feet away.

"I can take the couch tonight."

Melissa shook her head as she tugged at Reeve's arm.

"You need a good night's sleep. Just come to bed."

"But I don't want to impose, I mean . . ." Reeve blushed as he remembered the passionate kiss they shared earlier in the day.

"You'll be asleep once your head hits the pillow. Don't worry," Melissa finally dragged her bashful husband into the bed.

"But, I," Reeve started to protest, but couldn't.

The warm comfort of the bed beckoned to him. The soft feel of the sheets and pillow were so relaxing that he was barely conscious when Melissa gave him a goodnight kiss. She was right. He did fall asleep once his head hit the pillow. And it was the most peaceful sleep that Reeve had ever had in years.

Elsewhere in Junon, the florescent lights buzzed with life over the cobblestone streets. They flickered on and off as people drowned themselves in booze and liquor. Cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air like a dense fog. Motel rooms were packed to the brim with bodies. Some of them were silent as their occupants slept soundly while most shook with the throes of midnight passions. Room 307 in the White Roof Inn was no exception.

"So are you always that rough with your women?" the strawberry blonde-haired woman asked as she blew a puff of smoke out of her scarlet lips.

"Only when I'm provoked," Reno flicked a bit of ash into an ashtray placed snuggly against tangled sheets and sweaty bodies. He stretched his arms, careful not to reopen the long red scratches along his back.

"Sorry about that. I just can't help myself I guess," she giggled. "But it looks like you want something more from me; something I haven't given you yet."

Reno smirked as took a quick drag from his cigarette. "You're a smart girl."

"Only to the customers who care," the girl winked.

"What can you tell me about the people who were on the Highwind?"

The blonde flicked the extra ashes into the ashtray before answering, "Most of the people there were all fobs. They didn't know a thing about living outside of Midgar. There were all crying mothers, babies and even grown men crying in the corner. It wasn't bad at first, until the Highwind got far enough off the ground that you could really see what happened to Midgar," she paused a bit as her expression softened. "I think I almost cried too after seeing what was left of my hometown."

Reno sat closer to her and rubbed her arms to comfort her. He didn't want her to have an emotional breakdown before she could tell him everything he needed. The girl gave Reno a faint smile in appreciation as she rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"There wasn't much of a crowd there. The only other people who really didn't seem to give a shit were other girls like me and a few drunken idiots. Are you looking for a drunken idiot?"

Reno shook his head as he blew some smoke out of his nose.

"Hm, didn't think so. What about two fobs? There was some bitchy mother and her snot-nosed son who both looked like they'd never left the upper plates in their life, but were more than happy to leave that hellhole."

"Go on," Reno gently rubbed her shoulders.

"Oh, just a little lower," she moaned. "Yeah, that's it. It looks like you hit my sweet spot and I hit yours. So you want to know more about the bitch and the brat?"

"You got it," Reno said as he rubbed his hands over that soft spot of her while she sighed underneath his gentle palpitations.

"Oh, you're good. The son is probably about his mid-twenties. Short blonde-hair, dark eyes. Not bad looking really. Though I personally would have liked to take his pompous attitude and shove it up his ass. Of course, the mother was no better. She looked like she was dressed like some matron of a high society club," she snorted. "Honestly though, she used to be a common prostitute. I could tell."

"Really? How could you tell?"

"It was in the way she carried herself. No self-respecting woman of the upper plates would walk into a room expecting men to look at her like a piece of meat. Especially someone her age."

She could feel Reno shudder as he paused in his seductive massage.

"Don't worry; it doesn't look like she's seen any customers in a long time. Though I'm not sure how she got as well off as she is. I think it probably has something to do with getting knocked up by some well-known celebrity who gave her hush money to keep quiet about who the father was. It happens all the time in Midgar."

"Sounds like my kinda girl. Not that I'm into old women or anything."

"Of course you're not," she winked. "But the last I saw them was somewhere along 25th street. After that, I couldn't hear that old bitch whining anymore so I assume that that they stopped around there. Is that enough information for you?"

"I guess it is, though my body's aching for something more," Reno smirked.

"Don't you have somewhere to be now that you've gotten what you wanted out of me?"

"Who said that I got everything I wanted?" Reno began biting her ear.

"You didn't pay for a Round 5 ya know?" she said playfully as she blew a ring of smoke into his face.

"Oh, I'm hurt babe."

"I guess I can make an exception for you. Though I doubt you'll remember me in the morning."

"What makes you say that?"

"Of all the hours you've been fucking me, you've never once asked for my name. Though I will say, whoever this Elena woman is, she'll be really happy once you finally get in the sack with her."

Reno didn't say anything as he stared out the window with a serious look on his face. He took one last drag off of his cigarette before extinguishing it with a pensive sigh. "She wouldn't be interested in me. Sorry if I offended ya. If it makes ya feel better, what is your name?"

"Does it matter?" she said huskily as she kissed him deeply and prepared for Round 5.

* * *

The quiet beaches of Costa Del Sol were cooling as the sun set in the west. It was an ideal night for lovers to stroll on the beach and watch the sky illuminate in bright oranges and reds. The resort town promised a romantic sunset every night and tonight was no exception. The silent steps of numerous couples were scattered throughout the town like shining stars. Amongst those couples, two friends and comrades stood at the end of the shoreline and threw stones in the water while their star slowly grew brighter and brighter.

"I can't believe that Yuffie snuck a guy into her room. It's so weird. I know she's old enough to do that sort of thing. I feel like I should stop her, but another part of me also feels sort of . . . proud. I'm not making any sense, aren't I?" Tifa laughed.

"Not really. But you've known Yuffie a lot longer than I have. Maybe it has something to do with that. Are you two close?" Rufus asked as he threw a rock into the crashing waves.

"I guess you could say that. Yuffie was the only one I could feel comfortable talking to about different things. She wasn't as good at giving me advice as Aer--, well, someone else. But she was always willing to listen. We'd sometimes stay up late talking about things that only girls talk about," Tifa grunted as she threw a rock a little bit further than Rufus had.

Rufus raised his brow a bit and whistled.

"Nice throw. I guess I'm going to have to step up to the plate a bit." Rufus tossed a rock in his hand to feel the weight. "So what sort of things do girls talk about?"

Tifa watched the rock sail over the waters and splash a bit further than where she had thrown it. "I'm not telling you that! That's why they call it girl-talk. By the way, that was a good one John."

"Thanks! I will say though, I don't think I'll ever understand women," Rufus smiled.

"Hey, we're not exotic creatures or anything. We just do and see things differently," Tifa picked up a big rock.

"Yes, I guess. At least you understand what Yuffie's doing. Probably from personal experience I'm gathering?" Rufus teased.

Tifa's eyes widened as she hurled the rock towards the horizon. It fell pathetically short of all the earlier marks. Tifa pursed her lips in irritation as she shook her head and picked up another rock.

"Guess I'm still the leader," Rufus smiled.

"Hah! We'll see how long you can keep your lead Mr. 'Prince of the pocket-lint' Woolfe," Tifa pointed her finger mockingly at him. "And just so you know, I never snuck any boys into my room when I was a teenager and I never have either."

"I'm sure you haven't Ms. 'Queen of the unusual nicknames' Lockheart," Rufus smirked as he watched her throw another rock with all her might.

Her next throw was more successful as it landed a few inches further than Rufus's throw. Tifa turned with a smile and put her hands on her hips proudly.

"Try and beat that!"

Rufus shook his head and picked up a rock as he silently admired Tifa in the fleeting rays of sunlight.

"I guess you leave me with no choice Tifa. I'm going to have to pull out the big guns," Rufus said as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Oh, I'm so scared," Tifa feigned, flailing her arms dramatically.

Rufus ignored her comments and he tried to remember Tseng's training from when he was a teenager. The rock was about the same weight of the grenades that Tseng used to train him with and he knew that he could throw one well over the distance Tifa had thrown. Focusing his strength, Rufus wound back and threw the rock with all his might as he let out a gasping breath.

The rock sailed through the air gracefully as it plopped into the ocean, several feet ahead of Tifa's last mark. Rufus smiled proudly as he shook his arm out. He turned to a wide-eyed Tifa who nodded her head in approval over his great rock-throwing skills. She knew that she couldn't beat him now. That last throw was far past her throwing range and much further than she could picture anyone throwing.

"That's really good John. Hey, you're probably even better than Cid, and he has a really good arm," Tifa smiled.

"I used to practice when I was a younger."

"It shows. Oh, by the way," Tifa smiled widely.

"Yes," Rufus barely spoke before Tifa punched him in the stomach.

He was gasping for air as he fell on his hands and knees. _Holy shit! What the hell was that for?_

"That was for making me miss one of my throws and making fun of me," Tifa huffed.

"Sorry," Rufus gasped.

"Apology accepted," Tifa smiled as she held her hand out to help him up.

"I really will never understand women," Rufus coughed as he felt himself lifted back onto his feet.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll never understand men. They're all so simpleminded."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Rufus said sarcastically. "First you punch me in the gut then you tease me about my intelligence."

"Well, you're not like most men," Tifa said before she spun around and walked towards the villa.

"Oh, what am I like then?" Rufus asked curiously as he followed her.

"Well . . . you're nice."

"I'm nice?" Rufus chuckled, wondering if she would say the same thing if she knew his true identity. "What else?"

"Well," Tifa laughed. "Sometimes you say and do some very wise and mature things, while other times you act totally clueless."

"Hey, I can't help it if no one ever taught me how to ride a chocobo until now."

"That's okay. Honestly, I never learned until we started tracking Sephiroth," Tifa smiled.

"Really?" Rufus looked surprised. "It doesn't look like it."

"Well, it's true," Tifa said as she put her finger to her lips and pointed at the villa door.

They had reached the small villa that Rufus's real estate agent had sold to them. Rufus hoped that Yuffie had finished her fun with her friend, if she wasn't completely embarrassed that he and Tifa had walked in on her, but then again, she had been too busy to notice them. He certainly didn't want to find himself in another awkward situation like that tonight.

Tifa slowly opened the door and peered into the darkness, making sure the coast was clear. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The furniture was where it was supposed to be and there weren't any clothes lying in heaps on the floor. Tifa assumed that Yuffie had taken her friend out of the villa. Breathing a sigh of relief, she opened the door the rest of the way.

"I think Yuffie's out on the town," Tifa sighed as she turned on the lights.

Rufus winced as the lights came on, almost expecting to see Yuffie entangled in a lip-lock with some unknown boy. He relaxed as he saw that nothing was out of place and there was no Yuffie or unnamed boy in the room. Everything looked neat and tidy. He visibly relaxed as he shut the door behind him.

"At least they took it somewhere else."

"Yes, thankfully," Tifa yawned. "Well, there's only one bed in this villa, so . . . is it alright if you take the couch?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Rufus smiled, trying not to think too hard about what he saw Yuffie doing on it earlier.

"Thanks, let me get a pillow and some blankets for you," Tifa walked towards the linen closet.

It took only a few minutes for her to make a quick bed out of the couch as the soft blankets patiently awaited Rufus. He sat down on the couch and sighed as he relaxed under the soft cushions.

"This is so nice. Thanks for making the couch for me Tifa."

"Not a problem. Well goodnight," Tifa waved before heading to the master bedroom.

"Night!" Rufus waved back.

Tifa reached for the doorknob and turned it, only to find it locked. Trying again, she let out a breath of frustration and knocked on the door.

"Yuffie, it's me, Tifa."

There was a slight rustle behind the door. Tifa waited for a few seconds before knocking again.

"Yuffie, please open the door."

"I guess she's asleep," Rufus said as he watched from the couch.

"Yeah, I guess," Tifa sighed before she heard a murmur from behind the door. "Wait, I think she's waking up."

Pushing her ear to the door, she listened to the hushed voices in the bedroom.

"Damnit, what am I going to do?" Yuffie whispered.

"Just ignore her. She'll go away eventually," an unfamiliar masculine voice groaned back.

Tifa jumped back away from the door and stared at it uneasily. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her face flushed red as she backed way from the door nervously.

"What's wrong?" Rufus asked.

Tifa nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard him.

"Oh, um . . . nothing really. Well, er, yeah. I guess we came back at a bad time," Tifa stuttered.

Rufus looked at her curiously before looking at the door and widening his eyes. He mouthed in a silent 'Oh,' as he understood what Tifa was talking about. He stood up and pushed the coffee table off into the corner of the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just making some room on the floor. I don't think you're going to be able to get in there for a while," Rufus pointed to the bedroom door.

Tifa just blushed and nodded politely.

"Here, you take the couch, I'll sleep on the floor," Rufus said as he sat down on the floor.

"Are you sure?"

Rufus nodded and smiled, "Yeah. After all, you said I was nice, so it's only in my nature to offer a lady a more comfortable place to sleep."

"Thanks John. Let me at least give you the blanket and pillow," Tifa threw the items on the floor. "I'd make you a bed again, but I'm dead tired right now."

"I think I can make do with what I have. Night Tifa, sweet dreams," Rufus clumsily tossed the blanket over him.

"Good night John," Tifa yawned. "Thanks and sleep well."

Rufus smiled as he watched her curl up into a tight ball on the couch. She really had been tired as Tifa practically fell asleep as soon as her head hit the soft cushions. She looked so content lying there, but something was missing. Rufus stared at his blanket for a few seconds before he sat up and wrapped the blanket around Tifa's body. She may not have been cold, but it would be better for her to have a warm blanket around her just in case. Satisfied, he stole one last glance at Tifa before his body slipped slowly into the oblivion of sleep.

Claudia was drunk. Not only was she drunk, she was piss-ass drunk. She along with a few of her friends sat on the grassy plains outside of Costa Del Sol. A small fire warmed her bikini-clad body. Her wrist and shoulder were still sore from her earlier encounter with Tifa, but that's what the alcohol was there for: to dull the pain.

Chugging down another beer, she tried in vain to erase her memories from earlier today. Humiliated. Embarrassed. Mocked. The list went on and on of all the horrible feelings she felt. And so she drank and drank hoping that she could drink herself into a mindless stupor, which she was getting close to doing.

The night sky was always more beautiful and sparkled brighter when heavily inebriated. Claudia could swear that at times the stars would sing to her. But that might have been the ringing in her ears. Either way, it didn't matter to her. She was drinking in the sights of the night as well as her friend's supply of beer. Nothing could be better.

As she watched the night sky, she saw a large yellow blur flying across the sky. Blinking, Claudia squinted her eyes to try and get a better view of the thing. It looked like a yellow chocobo was flying through the sky with big black bat-like wings. Claudia rubbed her eyes and stared again, still seeing the chocobo with black wings flying through the sky. Claudia wasn't really smart, but she knew that chocobos didn't fly or have black wings. She didn't think she had any hallucinogens tonight, but she was so drunk that she forgot half of the night already. Dismissing the thought, she held her bottle up high and toasted the strange flying chocobo before chugging the remaining beer. Claudia was still conscious and that meant she needed to drink some more. The next morning Claudia wouldn't remember the flying chocobo, but there was indeed a flying chocobo that night. And she was right, chocobos don't fly.

* * *

The fireflies danced in streaks of light around Wutai as the countries top officials were busy discussing the future of their country in the pagoda. Lord Godo sat stiffly at the head of the table, acutely aware that it had been years since he took seat in his honorary position as the Emperor of Wutai. Stealing a glance to his left, he gazed sadly at the empty seat reserved for the Empress of Wutai. _Mariko._

Godo's sadness over his dead wife was quickly replaced with worry over his daughter Yuffie. He had not heard from her since AVALANCHE had successfully destroyed Meteor. To say he was proud was an understatement. He wished nothing more than to embrace his daughter and tell her the many honorable things she had done for her country. _You blessed us with a wonderful daughter Mariko. You would be proud of her._ However, all his mixture of worry and happiness for his daughter was overshadowed by his current predicament: the future of Wutai.

"What news do you have Staniv?" Godo asked one of his advisors.

"We have heard reports that AVALANCHE is in Kalm helping to free the citizens out of Midgar, but we have not confirmed whether the young princess is there or not. Though, we have heard that there were sightings of her after Meteor was destroyed, so I do believe she survived if that gives you any consolation."

"Yes it does. Thank you Staniv," Godo released a heavy sigh. "What other business do we have to tend to?"

"If I may Lord Godo," Chekhov bowed. "We've been getting requests from the ShinRa officials in Midgar and Junon to aide them in the recovery efforts of the Midgar area. It seems they need resources to help with the housing of refugees and any other aide we can provide. I suggest trying our best to help the Western Continent to show the world that Wutai is a sympathetic country."

"I disagree my lord," Gorki stood up. "I don't think we should help the company that started a pointless war with us only years ago. They deserved what they got and we should let them suffer to their own fates."

"Gorki, how could you be so cold?" Chekhov protested.

"Well, where was ShinRa when we were trying to rebuild after war? You know just as well as I do that all they cared about was harvesting the mako on our lands. After they took everything that they could, they just left us with to pick up the broken pieces that they left behind! How could you forget what they did to our country?" Gorki fumed.

"I didn't forget. I'm just compassionate enough to forgive," Chekhov shot back.

"Would you two quit it! You're yapping like a bunch of dogs. We can't figure out what to do with Wutai if you two just argue the entire night." Shake said as he stared at the two adults defiantly.

Chekhov and Gorki both slunk down in their seats ashamed that they had been admonished by none other than a young boy. Before anyone else had a chance to speak, one of the servants of the pagoda entered the room carrying a phone.

"Lord Godo, a gentleman who says he is a part of the ShinRa-King Organization wishes to speak to you."

"ShinRa, that can only mean they want more aide," Gorki scoffed.

"Silence Gorki," Godo warned. "I will take their call."

The servant obediently bowed as he left the phone before the Emperor.

"This is Godo Kisaragi speaking."

_"Emperor Kisaragi, I'm honored to be finally speaking to you. I'm the head of the ShinRa-King Organization."_

"And what may your name be?"

_"That's not important at the moment. I'd rather we discuss the business that I called you for."_

"Natives of Wutai usually find it extremely rude to discuss business first before giving out one's name."

_"Ah, that may be your custom, but I think these are desperate times and in desperate times, we need to get to the point rather than to dilly dally in custom and traditions."_

Godo was tempted to hang up on the man, but years of raising Yuffie had taught him some patience. "Very well, what is your point then?"

_"I need your help Emperor Kisaragi. I need you and your country to help the ShinRa-King Organization."_

"I've had representatives calling me asking for aide to help Midgar. I already told them that Wutai sends their condolences, but can not spare any money at this time."

_"I'm not asking for money from you, just manpower and support."_

"What exactly are your proposing?"

_"I want ShinRa and I need your help to claim it. They're at their weakest right now and with your help, if we were to challenge their authority, ShinRa would crumble and I will take it over. After I come to power, you will be rewarded for your allegiance and then Wutai will no longer be afraid of not having enough money. So, do we have a deal?"_

"I'll have to discuss this with my advisors."

_"Understandable. Your servant should have my number. Call me once you've decided. I'm sure we can work together for the future of Wutai and ShinRa. Good night Emperor Kisaragi."_

"Yes, good night," Godo sighed as he let his servant take the phone.

Godo sat silent as he pondered the situation. This was the perfect opportunity for Wutai to strike against ShinRa. He knew the company would never be as weak as it was now. But could he ally himself with an unknown person who only wanted to take over ShinRa? Was it in Wutai's best interests to start another war before the scars of the past war have healed?

"My lord, what did they want?" Staniv asked.

Godo sighed as he looked over the faces of all his advisors. He couldn't decide this alone. "Staniv, Chekhov, Gorki, and Shake. We must come to an agreement about Wutai's fate. This is what I learned over the phone . . ."

**_

* * *

Chapter 23: Omake Scene (because Cid and Barret are too funny to forget)_**

"So I tell the bartender, 'Whaddya mean I can't drink no more booze!' Then I grabbed the closest bottle on the counter and chugged it all down slamming it on the counter to prove a point. But you know what?" Cid chuckled.

"What?" Barret asked intrigued.

"Turns out the bottle was nothing but mineral water and I drank it all thinking it was hard liquor!" Cid burst out laughing.

"Highwind, you're a real trip!" Barret laughed as they both stumbled into the clinic.

"Hey nurse, ya got two injured men over here. Can we get some treatment?" Cid bellowed oblivious to the sleeping patient on the couch or anyone else for that matter. Shera tried in vain to keep him quiet, but she knew that Cid Highwind and silence were like oil and water; they just don't mix.

Donna was busy taking someone's blood pressure as the loquacious pair burst into the clinic. She hated it when a patient thought that they were supposed to be treated first and foremost and now she had two idiot patients barging through the door. But Donna always knew how to handle these types.

"Okay, you two. Just head down to Examination Room 2. It's the first door on your right," Donna said in the sickliest sweet voice she could muster.

She watched carefully as the two men were guided by a mousy woman into the examination room. Donna quickly wrapped up the test of her patient and collected herself before heading into the lion's den.

"Barbara, I'm going to be a while," Donna told the receptionist.

"Don't be too rough on them," Barbara joked.

"Only as rough as they get."

"You know that those two helped saved the planet, don't ya?" Casey suddenly spoke from his prone position on the couch.

"Ya think I care? Besides, I thought you were trying to help us out, not sleeping on the couch like some bum," Donna shot back.

"I'm an old man Donna, I need to take my nap," Casey chuckled.

"Just don't be taking your nap when a real emergency comes our way," Donna shook her finger at him before walking toward Examination Room 2.

"Aw, gimme a break Barret. Just because your ass is so fat doesn't mean I can't sit on the examination table," Cid grumbled as he sat in a stiff hardwood chair.

"Sure, whatever man. This comin' from the man who said 'Don't worry Shera, I'll just slap some mud on that wound and be good to go.' Hmphf! Whatever man, whatever," Barret said safely from the padded exam table.

The pair barely registered the knock on the door as a heavy-set nurse walked into the room with a fake smiled plastered on her face.

"Why hello gentlemen! What can I do for you today?" Donna asked.

"Well that fathead over there punched me in the shoulder, see? Man, look at that nasty bruise. And . . ."

"Dun' you go tellin' no lies Highwind! You threw a damn grenade at me!"

"I wouldn't be one to complain about lying, unless you don't count that one huge lie you told me, Wallace!"

The two grown-up men argued relentlessly as Shera walked over to the nurse looking apologetic for her companion's behaviors.

"Um, Ma'am? Cid injured his right shoulder and Barret has a burn on his left arm. They're not really serious, but I don't want the injuries to get infected or anything . . . so, um," Shera tried to talk over the two men shouting in the background.

"Don't you worry about a thing honey. Ole' Donna's gonna take real good care of these boys," Donna said as she guided Shera out the door.

The nurse instantly dropped her smile as soon as the door shut and she turned around to see Cid and Barret throwing insult after insult at each other. She cleared her throat a few times with no success before walking over to the pair and smacking them both upside the head with a wooden clipboard.

"OW! What the fuck was that for?" Cid whined.

"That was for not shutting your big mouth up," Donna berated.

"He started it," Barret pointed fingers.

Donna hit Barret again as she waved her fingers in his face, "Don't you point fingers like that again. I don't care who started it, but both of you are gonna act like adults around here, Understand?"

"Whoa, who hired Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Bitchy?" Cid grumbled.

"What did you say?" Donna threatened with the clipboard.

"Oh, nothing Ma'am!" Cid quickly sputtered.

Donna only glared at Cid as she took out two sealed packages from the nearby counter. "Any of ya'll allergic to penicillin?"

"Don't think so," Barret mused while Cid only shrugged.

"Well, we'll just have to take the chance with you two," Donna deftly unwrapped the two syringes and stuck both Cid and Barret at the same time.

"Damn woman! Are ya trying to kill me?" Cid rubbed his arm where Donna had injected the antibiotics.

"Stop being a pussy, I thought you were tougher than that," Barret laughed.

"Well I didn't exactly see you toughing it up like a man. You scream like a little girl," Cid smirked.

Barret grumbled as he nursed his arm and bruised pride. He later had to nurse his throbbing head as Donna smacked him and Cid again for their little outburst.

"I thought nurses and doctors were supposed to treat their patients, not beat them dumb," Cid rubbed the sore spot on his head.

"Well you two ain't typical patients. Names?" Donna asked.

"Huh?" Barret looked stupefied.

"Ya got a name, don't ya?" Donna looked at Barret with disinterest and hardly any compassion.

"Don't mind Barret, he's a little slow if you know what I mean," Cid tapped his head. "I'm Cid Highwind. Born February 22, 281 A.S. (After Spira) somewhere near Costa Del Sol and Rocket Town. I'm 5'8" and last time I weighted myself, I was 195 lbs. That all you need?"

"That's good enough for now," Donna scribbled all the information down. "How about you?"

"My name's Barret Wallace. Born December 15, 277 A.S. in Corel Village. I'm--" Barret was interrupted by a hard smack to the head courtesy of Donna.

"Don't you lie to me boy!" Donna fumed.

"Lie? What would I be lying about? Do you know what I'm lying about Highwind?"

Cid only shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as he kept himself away from Donna's fury.

"There ain't no Wallaces from Corel Village. The place was burnt to the ground years ago and I ain't heard of any Wallaces surviving," Donna spat as she started to tear up.

"There was one Wallace who survived. No one really knew about it, but I was that Wallace and I am who I am," Barret said softly.

"You're . . . you're really Barret Wallace?" Donna asked hopefully.

Barret nodded.

"Little Bear? Is it really you?"

"Auntie Donna?" Barret asked, finally recognizing the older woman.

"Oh my Little Bear is still alive!" Donna squealed with delight as she embraced Barret with as much vigor as she could muster.

"Auntie Donna! It's so good to see you! It's been too long," Barret returned the hug with equal strength.

Cid stared at the duo with wide-eyes. _Little Bear? Auntie Donna? _

"Here, let me take a good look at you," Donna absorbed all the features of her nephew noting how big he had gotten as well as his gun-arm. "Was that from the fire?"

"Yeah, my arm got shot up real good. Had to replace it," Barret rubbed the cold metal.

"So there ain't nothing else wrong with you 'cept that arm?" Donna carefully inspected her nephew.

"Nope," Barret said proudly

"Good," Donna sighed before smacking Barret in the back of the head with her clipboard. "Why couldn't you have called or something! All those years I thought you were dead!"

"Sorry, I kinda forgot," Barret winced.

"Ha! Little Bear forgot to tell his Auntie Donna he was safe," Cid laughed heartily, which caused Donna to smack Cid across the head again in response. "Hey! What was that for?"

"That was for making fun of my nephew now sit down and shut up!"

Cid grumbled as he slunk lower in his chair, "better not get brain damage or anything from this."

"I heard that! And I doubt anything could crack that thick skull of yours," Donna said to Cid before turning her attention back to Barret. "And you! If you do somethin' like that again, I'm going to whoop your behind so hard, it's gonna catch on fire! Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," both Cid and Barret replied, fearing the wraith of the older woman.

"Good. Now look at you two. It looks like you hadn't eaten in days," Donna said boisterously.

Donna had completely changed her personality from short-tempered abuser to kindly old woman. Cid and Barret exchanged worried glances as their minds blanked on how they should respond.

"I can get off of work and whip up a nice dinner for you all. And you can even bring over that sweet little thang you got out there," Donna said to Cid.

"Sweet little thang? You mean Shera?" Cid asked confused.

"Yeah, bring her along. I'll be sure to make some food for all of ya'll," Donna gushed.

Cid and Barret sighed as they let the woman chat about all the food she was going to make for them. They knew that they were in for a very long evening and there was no way they would be able to back out of it.

"Barret, this is all your fault ya know."

"Yeah, I know Cid. I know."

* * *

A/N: I'm buying a new house! Only down side is now I have to enslave 30 years of my life to paying off the mortgage and basically paying double the price of the house once you factor in interest and all that jazz. That doesn't even include all the new furniture I have to buy, paint, household necessities. Blargh! But I'm buying a new house! 


	24. Never Been Kissed

**Chapter 24: Never Been Kissed**

Rude screwed in the last screw to the small robotic doll that lay lifeless on the table. He hoped that the small microphone he attached to Kate Sith's head would actually work. It had been a while since he last fixed anything electronic and replacing the batteries on Reno's magrod didn't count. He took a quick sip of coffee before placing Kate Sith on the ground and switching the little doll on.

Movement? Check. Video feed? Check. Audio feed? Unknown. Rude knew that the best way to test the new upgrade to Kate Sith was to find an unsuspecting victim. Smiling, Rude remembered that Elena's room was close to the Turk's break room. Checking his watch, it was right about the time that she usually went out for her morning work-out. Rude maneuvered Kate Sith until the doll was almost to Elena's room. Sure enough, as Rude had predicted, Elena walked out of her room clad in some shorts and a sports bra. She hadn't noticed Sara's toy lying behind her yet.

Adjusting the microphone on Kate Sith's remote controller, Rude cleared his throat, thankful he installed the voice distorter on the doll before speaking, "Good morning Miss Elena!"

Elena turned sharply after hearing the robotic voice greet her. She breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Sara's little robotic toy smiling at her. She didn't know that Sara was up this early.

"Good Morning Kate Sith, how are you today?" Elena smiled as she lowered her head down to get closer to the doll.

"I am very well Thank you. How about yourself?" the robotic doll replied in a child-like feminine voice.

"I'm good. I didn't realize that you could talk."

"I didn't realize I could talk until now. It's like a newfound freedom to finally speak my mind."

Elena looked at the doll slightly confused. _Since when did Sara talk like that?_ Suddenly, Elena realized that there were only two people she knew who could add a microphone to Kate Sith. One of them was either still asleep with his wife or too busy running the country and the other one always had a knack of waking up before dawn to drink some coffee. "Rude, is that you?"

". . ."

"Yep, that's you alright. Does Sara know what you did to her doll?" Elena smiled as she put her hands on her hips.

"Not yet. But I'm going to surprise her. Think she'll like it?" Rude responded through Kate Sith's high-pitched voice.

"Well, considering how fond she is of you, I think she will. Just don't spy on me while I'm working out," Elena waved as she jogged down the corridors to the gym.

Rude gazed at her shrinking form in the small monitor and smiled. Audio feed? Check. Now all he had to do was show Sara how to use the new features on her doll. He wondered if she would have as much as a knack for controlling the robot as her father did with Cait Sith. Though he doubted that Kate Sith would be spying on terrorist organizations anytime soon.

Just as the robotic doll had returned to the break room, Rude's PHS suddenly rang. He noticed Reno's number flashing on his phone and raised his brow, wondering what Reno was doing up so early. The man never woke-up before noon if he could help it.

"Rude here."

_"Yo, what's up?" _Reno's tired voice echoed.

"Nothing out of the ordinary here. Find anything?"

_"A really hot strawberry-blonde chick.__ Too bad she dyes."_

"How can you tell?"

_"The carpet doesn't match the drapes. Anywho, I wanted to let ya know that I've got an idea of where they might be at. It's somewhere around 25th street. I'm going to sniff around and see if I smell any of their crap."_

"That's good. I'll get Elena to check the computers and see if anyone suspicious checked into any of the hotels around that area."

_"Sounds good to me,"_ Reno paused a bit before speaking in a more serious tone. _"Is Elena still mad at me?"_

"She cooled off after playing with Sara for a while. But I can't guarantee that she won't try to hurt you when you get back."

_"I guess I'll just have to buy her flowers or some shit like that. Are you sure you don't mind?"_

"I told you Reno. I only had a small infatuation with her. It's the same with Tifa. They're both beautiful women, but I know I could never make them happy."

_"And you think I can make her happy? Elena that is, not Tifa. Though Tifa is pretty damn hot. But Elena . . . "_

"Yes. There are only two people I've seen who have made her really smile and that's you and Tseng," Rude said with a hint of remorse over the loss of their former boss.

_"Thanks Rude. You're a real pal."_

"No problem. I'll call you if we dig up anything on our end."

_"Good stuff. Laters," _Reno said before hanging up.

Rude put his PHS down and sighed as he drank some more coffee. He knew that Elena cared about Reno. She wouldn't have been so angry at his actions if it wasn't because she was worried about him. The real question was whether or not they would see past their flirtatious bickering to actually talk about a relationship. Rude wasn't going to worry about that because they were both adults and perfectly capable of handling the situation themselves. He was just never going to tell Reno that Elena had threatened to tie Reno to a bed and beat some sense into him. But then again, Reno might like that.

* * *

The sweet smells of freshly brewed coffee brought a smile to Rufus's lips as he wrapped himself in a blanket. The scent was both refreshing and soothing at the same time. Feeling the caffeine urge, he rolled around the carpeted floor until he was sitting up. Looking around, he noticed that the couch was empty and the blanket that he had wrapped around Tifa last night was now tangled between his legs. 

Tifa walked into the room carrying two steaming cups of coffee as she smiled and offered a cup to him. Rufus couldn't think of anything better to wake up to in the morning: the coffee was a plus.

"Morning. Sleep well?"

"Yes, I did. Thanks for the coffee Tifa," Rufus took a sip and sighed. "That really hits the spot."

"You're welcome. You might want to take a shower before Yuffie wakes up. She tends to take a while," Tifa sat on the couch and savored the dark liquid.

"Yeah, I don't think I want to be around when she and her new boyfriend get up," Rufus stole a glance at the bedroom door.

"I'm not waking her, that's for sure. I'll go and make some breakfast while you're freshening up."

Rufus watched her saunter into the kitchen humming a beautiful melody. The coffee was working its magic on his body and the salty air refreshed his lungs. This was what it was like to be free and Rufus savored it. It didn't take long for him to finish his coffee and take a shower, especially when there would be breakfast waiting for him and the piping hot plate of eggs, bacon and toast certainly didn't disappoint him.

It was like a blissful morning dream. There he was eating a delicious meal prepared by a beautiful woman and there they were eating said delicious meal and enjoying each other's company. It was a picture for one of those advertisements that you usually see trying to sell coffee or some morning byproduct. Of course, it could have also been a TV ad for encouraging parents to talk to their rambunctious teenagers about sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll as Yuffie stormed into the kitchen hungry and giddy.

"Man Tifa, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse! Did'ja make enough food for me and Ace?" Yuffie barged into the kitchen grabbing whatever food she could get to.

"Ace?" Tifa asked as she protected her plate of food from Yuffie's quick hands.

Just then, a teenage boy with blond streaks in his hair wearing nothing but some khaki colored swim trunks lazed into the kitchen. The tall muscular boy hardly noticed anyone as he headed straight for the refrigerator, grabbed a carton of milk and started to drink straight from the carton.

"That's Ace," Yuffie pointed to the boy who continued to drink out of the carton as he briefly waved to the group.

Tifa and Rufus watched the boy as he chugged down the rest of the milk and sighed in satisfaction. Tifa made a mental note to throw away the milk after she saw Ace put the empty container back into the fridge.

Finally, after much longer than reasonable, Ace introduced himself with a simple statement, "Yo."

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Tifa--"

"Yeah! This is my _sister_ Tifa. I was tell you about her," Yuffie quickly interrupted Tifa as she gave Tifa a knowing look. "And that guy sitting over there is her _boyfriend_ John. Right sis?"

Rufus nearly choked on his food as Yuffie introduced him as Tifa's boyfriend. "Yuffie! What--"

Yuffie smacked Rufus in the arm before he could talk, "Oh, come on John. Don't tell me you're embarrassed of having such a hot girlfriend. It's always fun to tease your boyfriend sis. It really is."

"Psst! Yuffie," Tifa motioned for the younger girl. "What are you trying to pull here?"

"I don't want Ace to think that you're single, otherwise he might not pay attention to me anymore," Yuffie whispered so only Tifa could hear.

"Trust me Yuffie; I have no interest in him."

"I know, but it doesn't mean he probably won't think about it. I'm just making sure that if he does, he'll know that you're taken so please, please, _please!_ Pretend you're dating John? I really like this guy," Yuffie silently begged.

Tifa looked at Yuffie as she thought about the situation. There really was no harm in pretending to be Yuffie's sister since she practically felt like she was. Tifa knew she didn't want to have a teenage boy hitting on her, especially one who Yuffie seemed to have a huge crush on. Besides, she always had a soft spot for Yuffie's puppy-dog face.

Tifa faked a pleasant smile on her face as she spoke loudly for everyone to hear. "Now please remember, _sis_. I know that you like to tease my _boyfriend_ John, but you know how he hates it."

Yuffie grinned broadly as she stood up feeling victorious, "Sorry about that, _sis_. I'll try not to do that again. Hope there aren't any hard feelings, right John?"

Rufus looked at Yuffie confused as the ninja pursed her lips waiting for him to say something. He felt someone nudge him in the side as he turned to see Tifa mouthing the words 'play along.' He had no idea what the two girls were up to, but if he was going to play along with this charade, he was going to milk it for all it's worth.

"No, no hard feelings at all," Rufus roughly slapped Yuffie on her back, causing the petite ninja to nearly topple over. "I should never be embarrassed about dating such a beautiful woman like your _sister. _Right, _honey?_" Rufus winked and smiled.

"Right, _darling_," Tifa replied slightly embarrassed.

She was grateful that he had been so quick and willing to play along with Yuffie's bizarre plan. She slowly relaxed placing her hands on the table until she felt a pair of hands close around hers. _John's hands are so warm. He's really getting into this._ Tifa blushed, trying her best to get her mind off of the slight flutter in her heart, Tifa turned to their new companion. "So, um, Ace. What do you do here in Costa Del Sol?"

"Surf," Ace said in a monotone voice as he wrapped his arms around Yuffie's waist.

"Do you do anything else other than surf?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah, I hang out with friends and other stuff," Ace said aloofly. "I mainly surf."

"Ace happens to be the best surfer on the beach," Yuffie grinned.

"Well that's certainly something to be proud of," Rufus said with little enthusiasm.

"Proud of? Dude! That's so rufus!" Yuffie squealed.

Rufus panicked and nearly fell out of his chair, tightening his grip on Tifa's hand. "Rufus? Who's Rufus?"

"Oh come on, don't tell me you've never heard of rufus before?"

Rufus quickly shook his head while Tifa gave Yuffie a perplexed look.

"Gawd, you two are so old. Ace, you know what I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah Yuffie. Rufus is what you say when something is rufus. Like, surfing is rufus, hot chicks are rufus, even ice cream. There are also things that aren't rufus, like school is so unrufus. So, you two rufus now?"

Tifa politely nodded while Rufus stared at Ace as he if had grown a second head. Both weren't about to admit that though it was the most that they had heard from the boy, his explanation explained nothing.

"Isn't Ace so smart?" Yuffie beamed. "He offered to take us to Gold Saucer and get us in for FREE! Can we go to Gold Saucer next Tifa? Can we?"

"Well, we do need to head there next and talk to Dio to see if he knows anything. I guess it wouldn't hurt," Tifa tried her best to compose herself.

"Tifa, are you sure it's safe for your _sister's boyfriend_ to come along with us?" Rufus looked skeptically at Ace who mainly paid attention to Yuffie.

"Don't worry about Ace. He's got muscles and he can fight. Besides, we'll be able to go to Gold Saucer! Aren't you excited?"

"I'm ecstatic," Rufus said flatly.

"I bet Ace is a better fighter than you are," Yuffie teased.

"Somehow I doubt that," Rufus scoffed.

Tifa shot out and smacked him lightly on the arm, "Be nice, _darling_."

"Yes, dear. Sorry about that," Rufus grumbled as he unconsciously stroked his fingers tenderly over Tifa's hand.

Tifa smiled softly until she realized the situation they were in and who was holding her hand. "Um, darling, sweetie?"

"Hm?" Rufus looked up to stare at Tifa's blushing face.

"We have guests," Tifa cleared her throat as her eyes pointed to his hand caressing hers.

"Oh, sorry about that," Rufus blushed furiously as he put his hands back onto his lap.

Tifa did the same as she also put her hands in her lap. She didn't want to admit that it felt nice: didn't want to admit that she felt safe and loved the tender strokes of his fingers on her hand. It was all Tifa could do to slow down her racing heart.

As Rufus and Tifa both stared at anything but each other, trying to hide their embarrassment, Yuffie smiled. None of the events between the pair went unnoticed by the young ninja who shifted her back comfortably into Ace's strong torso. Operation 'Get Tifa to fall in love again and hopefully with John' was in effect and working as planned.

_"Yuffie, you are a genius,"_ the young ninja thought to herself with a grin.

The rest of the morning was spent with Yuffie chatting away with Ace while Tifa and Rufus tried their best to ignore their conversation. It wasn't that they disliked talking with the young ninja and her new friend; it was just that her unlimited quantity of exuberance was too much for the pair. No coffee or legal stimulants in the world were strong enough to get anyone as energetic as Yuffie Kisaragi.

* * *

It was another early morning for the temporary residents of Elmyra's temporary house in Kalm. Of all of the people in the house, no one was more excited about the day than Barret Wallace. He had been reunited with his Aunt and now that Aunt was coming by to see Marlene for the first time. He smiled down at Marlene who was lying on the ground coloring pictures of Elmyra washing the dishes. Barret busied himself around the house with Elmyra, quickly cleaning it so it was more presentable to Donna. 

"Barret, mind if I leave early to head to the mines? I want to talk to Mr. Wheeler about something," Nanaki padded over to the larger man.

"Sure, I see nutin' wrong with that."

"Yeah, Red, you go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later after my morning cigarette," Cid as he glared at Barret.

Barret saw the menacing glare the pilot gave him as he left the house. No one dared to stop the pilot from getting his nicotine fix; even Barret learned that lesson the hard way.

While Barret was ecstatic about the day, Cid was the exact opposite. The pilot was busy running through his mind the conversation he had with Donna last night. The conversation was more along the lines of Donna arguing with him about what he needed to do, but what the older woman had to say really struck a chord with him. It concerned Shera. Although Cid had been consciously trying to be much more pleasant with Shera, Donna thought it wasn't enough.

_"You better treat her like a lady and never take her for granted. Cause if you don't, I guarantee that some other gentleman is going to come along and sweep her off her feet and there ain't no words that could come out of your dirty mouth that would convince her to stay."_

Donna's words replayed in his mind all night as Cid tried to think of what Donna would have considered "treating her like a lady." He knew that he wasn't raised with good manners. Hell, he hardly understood the words 'gentile' and 'proper.' Cid Highwind silently wished for the old days when men would knock their women over the head with a club and then drag them into their cave. Things were much easier then.

"There you are!"

Cid turned and came face to face with the last person he wanted to see.

"Are you treatin' Miss Shera like a lady like I asked you to?" Donna eyed him suspiciously.

"Um, sure I am," Cid laughed nervously.

Donna crossed her arms in front of her and glared at the pilot seeing right through his lie. "Sure you did. Did you say 'Good Morning' to her? In fact, I don't think you said 'Good Morning' to me yet, have you?"

"Good Morning Ms. Wallace," Cid grumbled. "And no, I haven't seen Shera yet so I couldn't say 'Good Morning' to her. There!"

"Good Morning Cid!" Shera's voice echoed from behind Cid. "Good Morning Ms. Wallace!"

"Good Morning to you too Shera," Donna smiled.

"Morin' Sher--, I mean. Good Morning Shera. You look nice today," Cid said as he tried to avoid Donna's disapproving gaze.

"Why thank you Cid," Shera blushed. "Oh, Ms. Wallace. Barret and Marlene are waiting for you in the kitchen. Marlene is very excited to meet you."

"Why thank you sweetie. I'll jus' head on in and leave you two alone," Donna smiled at Shera. "Now Mr. Highwind, remember what I told you," Donna said with a knowing look in her eye.

Cid saw the look in the woman's eyes and interpreted her words as, _"You better be nice to Shera or I'm going to come out and kick your sorry ass all over Kalm."_ Cid had no doubt that the older, heftier woman could do it either. He really missed the courting rituals of cavemen.

As soon as Donna entered Elmyra's house in Kalm, Cid let out a firestorm of curses that were bottled up inside of him. "Damn, that woman's crazy!"

"You mean Barret's Aunt?"

"Yeah, the weird one."

"She's just excited to see her family again. She is a sweet woman."

"Yeah, well, I was never one for women like that."

"You mean you don't like sweet women?" Shera said sadly.

"Nah, I like sweet girls, just not boisterously sweet. I mean, you're sweet, but not the same kinda sweet Donna is. You're the kinda sweet, I like." Cid rubbed the back of his head, stumbling with his words.

"Oh Cid, that's really . . . sweet." Shera blushed at Cid's unusual flirtatious nature.

Cid stared down at Shera's beautiful face and smiled. Donna was right. He did need to treat her like a lady. He tried to think of what sort of compliments he should give Shera as he looked at her blushing face.

"Um, that white coat looks nice on you, is it new?"

"Oh, this old coat? It's the same one I've had for years. I just bleach it," Shera said smoothing out the small wrinkles on her coat.

"Oh, um," Cid said scratching his head. "Those glasses look nice on you."

"My glasses? They do?" Shera adjusted her wide-rimmed glasses. "I always thought that I looked like kinda nerdy with them on."

Cid was getting frustrated. None of his compliments were working. Courting women like a gentleman is supposed to was just not something he was good at. If he were to try and court her the way Donna wanted him to, it would probably take twenty years for them to get together. Cid wasn't going to wait that long.

"Hell, I'm getting too old for this," Cid sighed.

"What do you mean--" Shera was about to say until she was cut off by Cid's rough lips on hers.

To Shera, he tasted bitter and sweet at the same time. For Cid, she tasted like the purists of honeyed-fruits. They were both enraptured in a state of passion and fulfillment. The kiss spoke for them as all of Shera's silent admiration and Cid's stubborn admittance of his feelings were finally pouring out from their lips. There would be no more uncertainties, no more hurtful words. Everything was going to be alright for Cid and Shera and the pair were finally going to be happy together.

* * *

Donna marveled at Marlene's art. Even though she knew that the little girl was adopted by her nephew, she could not help but rain kisses and hugs upon the child who was wrapping her little finger around her heart. 

"Look Auntie Donna, I made a drawing of Un'ca Cid and Auntie Shera," Marlene held up her picture with a huge smiled.

"Oh, isn't that precious. You even have them holdin' hands," Donna pinched Marlene's cheek.

Looking at the picture of the couple reminded Donna that she needed to check on how Cid was progressing in his futile attempt at a relationship with Shera. As she gazed out the window she saw Cid kissing Shera passionately in a display that could be called borderline sinful. It wasn't exactly what Donna had in mind when she hoped he would be nicer to her, but as long as he took the initiative, it didn't matter to her. She just had to remember to warn him about hurting her feelings while she was around. Otherwise Cid Highwind would know the true meaning of pain and Donna was going to make sure of that.

"So Marlene, are you gonna show that drawing to Mr. Cid and Miss Shera?" Donna asked; tickled at the scene she just saw outside of the window.

"I don't know if Un'ca Cid would like it. But Auntie Shera would, she was the one who asked me to draw it."

"Oh, don't you worry sweetie. I'm sure your Uncle Cid would love to see it, ain't that right now Barret?"

"Yeah Marlene. Go ahead and show 'im when you see him next. He'll like it," Barret winked at Donna, knowing of his Aunt's plans to get Cid to be nicer to Shera.

"Should I go show them now Papa?" Marlene bounced eagerly on the floor.

"Not now sweetie," Donna quickly answered. "You can show them later. Right now I want you to draw that picture of all your other Aunts and Uncles you say you have that aren't here right now."

"Okay. I'm gonna get more crayons," Marlene smiled as she ran over to Elmyra. "Auntie Elmyra, can you help me look for more crayons?"

"Sure thing sweetie, let me just put these dishes in the sink real quick," the older woman smiled.

Barret and Donna could only smile as they watched the adorable little girl bound away with Elmyra to find more crayons.

"So what do you think of Marlene?" Barret asked his Aunt.

"She's a real sweet girl. If I didn't already know she wasn't yours, I would have sworn I saw Myrna in her."

"Well, Myrna and Eleanor were always close. Eleanor was Marlene's real mother. I hope she's somewhere up there thinkin' I did a good job raising her daughter."

"Little Bear, She would'a been mighty proud of how Marlene turned out, I'm sure of it," Donna smiled. "Does Marlene know who her real parents were?"

"No. I don't know if she'd old enough to understand. 'Sides, I haven't had the heart to tell her that I ain't her real Papa."

"You need to tell her Little Bear. You need to tell her and tell her soon. It ain't right for her not to know."

"Yeah, I know. But what will it do to her knowing that I have ta tell her, I ain't her real Daddy? I jus don't want to confuse her."

"Little Bear, let me tell you a little bit about your 'ole Aunt Donna. I left North Coral cause I fell in love with a man from Kalm. You remember your Uncle Rammy, don't ya?"

Barret nodded his head.

"He was everything to me he was. Of course, you probably remember how he passed away some years back. It was a car accident. There was nothing no one could do about it. I stayed in Kalm as a nurse not wantin' to go back to North Corel. I just didn't want ta leave the town Rammy grew-up in. Then I met Casey. He's such a strange man. But he's a good man. He used ta work for ShinRa. I don't think he's worked for them for a while. He lives in Junon, but always finds his way back to Kalm. He says that he can't leave Junon, but can't stay in Kalm. I'm nev'r sure if he leaves because of me or stays because of me. But he's back here now and all I know is that I love that man. We've both lived too long knowing each other, we just can't stay apart too long. I think how I feel for that man is probably what it's like with you an' Marlene."

"I don't understand."

"Casey and I aren't married little Bear. We've known each other for years, but we've never gotten married. He can't forget his old wife and I can't forget about Rammy. Still, I love him like I'd love a husband. He's not really my husband, but I treat him like one. It's the same with you an' Marlene. She ain't your daughter, but no one could doubt that you love her like a father. Just tell her who her real parents were and show her that you'll never stop lovin' her like you do now. She'll understand."

Barret mused over his aunt's words as he stared down at his gunarm. He thought about that fateful night when he tore through the burning rubble of his hometown to find Myrna. Barret couldn't remember the pain that he was in as his right arm hung limply by his side. All he remembered was hearing a baby crying through the raging fire. He barely registered the pain in his heart when he finally found the source of the crying only to see Myrna dead lying beside Eleanor. They were both huddled over Marlene trying to protect her from the fire. The only thing Barret truly recalled happening after that is carrying Marlene in his good arm as he ran away from all the pain and death in North Corel. If it weren't for the fact that he had a young baby in his arms, Barret probably would have sat next to Myrna's body waiting for the flames to consume him. But he didn't because of Marlene. He could remember the difficulties of changing her diaper with one metal arm. He remembered her first words, her first step. The first time he carried her over his shoulders like she loved. Marlene was his life.

"Papa! I have more crayons!" Marlene squealed as she ran into the room with Elmyra behind her.

Barret smiled and looked at Marlene, noticing how much she looked like Eleanor, but had Dyne's energy. Then he remembered that he had promised Dyne that he would give Marlene Eleanor's locket.

"Hey babydoll, come here for a second. Papa has something important to tell ya," Barret said as he scooped the little girl onto his lap.

"What is it Papa?"

"I want to give you somethin' and before I do. I want ya to remember that you're always my baby-girl and I'll always love you," Barret smiled tenderly.

Marlene smiled as she nodded, letting her short brown hair flap carelessly around her face.

Barret sighed as he pulled out the silver locket he had in his coat pocket. Marlene's eyes lit up with surprise as she cautiously held the beautiful necklace.

"It's so pretty."

"Go ahead and open it," Barret urged.

Marlene pushed the small latch on the locket and scrunched her face in confusion as she looked at the picture of the couple holding their baby. The woman had light brown hair and a beautiful smile while the man had bluish hair. They both looked happy together with their baby held close between them.

"Papa, who are they?" Marlene pointed to the picture.

"Well, that pretty lady over there is Eleanor. That man next to her is her husband Dyne and the baby that they're holding . . . well, that's you."

Marlene looked up at Barret's face confused. "That's me?"

Barret nodded and took a deep breath. Donna gave Barret a quick squeeze on the shoulder for moral support. "Eleanor and Dyne are your real Mama and Papa. This picture was taken shortly after you were born. Your Mama put it in a locket and always wore it 'round her neck."

"Where are they now?"

"They're not here anymore sweetie."

"Why aren't they here anymore? Did they not love me?" Marlene asked, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"No, no sweetie. They loved you very much," Barret quickly answered.

"Then why are you my Papa now and they aren't?"

Barret was afraid to tell Marlene the complete truth about what really happened. He didn't want to tell her about North Corel or his confrontation with Dyne at Gold Saucer. He was at a loss for the best way to tell Marlene that her parents were dead.

"Hey Marlene sweetie?" Elymra suddenly spoke as she bent down to speak to the young child. "Do you remember Aeris, the flower lady?"

Marlene smiled as she remembered the stories Elmyra would tell her about Aeris.

"Your Mama and Papa are with her now, in the lifestream," Elmyra stroked the little girl's hair.

"They're with the flower lady now?" Marlene smiled. "So that means that they went to help save the planet like the flower lady did. Right?"

"Yes, they did," Elmyra answered.

Barret and Donna both smiled at Aeris's adopted mother in appreciation.

"So they still love me?"

"Yes. They saved the planet because you were still living on it. They wanted to save you," Elmyra smiled.

Marlene smiled satisfied with the answer. The little girl looked up expectantly at Barret and gazed into his face, wrought with emotions.

"Papa? You're still going to be my Papa, right?" Marlene asked with trepidation.

"Of course baby doll. I'll always be your Papa!"

"I love you Papa," Marlene hugged Barret as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you too sweetie," Barret smiled as a few tears streamed down his face.

For the first time in years, Barret Wallace felt like he was a part of a real family again: he felt complete.

* * *

Rufus felt like he should be chewing out Yuffie for making him and Tifa lie, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it was because she was making him act like Tifa's boyfriend or the fact that every chance she got, the young ninja tried to get him to hold hands with Tifa. Now Rufus knew that he should be berating Yuffie for cooking up some silly scheme to get Ace to join their party, but she was suggesting having him and Tifa ride a chocobo together and he just couldn't find the will to do it. 

"So Yuffie, why is it that Ace can't ride with you again?" Tifa asked worried she was giving the teen too much leeway.

"Oh come on Tifa. You know that Maru's still just a baby. She can't handle two people riding on her. Mortius on the other hand can carry both you and John. Besides, you're going to be with your _boyfriend_, right?"

Tifa merely rolled her eyes playfully at the young girl. "So I have this clear. You want me to let Ace ride Sabina, while you ride along on Maru and I ride with John on Mortius."

"Exactly!"

"Fine," Tifa looked over at Ace who was already strapping two surfboards to Sabina's saddle. Tifa didn't want to know what Ace was planning on doing with surfboards in Gold Saucer, considering that there were no water rides or attractions at the large amusement park.

"Come on Tifa, let's get moving," Yuffie whined as she sat on top of her chocobo impatiently.

"Alright, I'm coming. John, is the chocobo ready to go?"

"Just finished," Rufus replied as he tightened a strap. He smiled at Tifa as she stood there waiting to mount Mortius.

"Here," Rufus offered his hand to help Tifa onto the chocobo.

"Thanks," Tifa smiled.

Tifa leapt onto the chocobo with ease as Rufus took a deep breath before hoisting himself onto the chocobo behind her. Rufus wrapped his arms around Tifa's waist to get to the reins trying his best to keep his hands on the reins and not someplace that would get him kicked off of the chocobo. Ace didn't have much trouble on the chocobo, though Sabina's legs did wobble a bit carrying the large muscular boy.

"Everyone ready?" Tifa asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Yuffie cheered.

Ace gave Tifa a thumbs-up as he spoke, "I'm rufus."

"Okay, let's--."

"Heeeuyy!" a loud voice interrupted Tifa.

Everyone turned to see several drunken people staggering back towards the beach. Leading the group and yelling at the top of her lungs was Claudia.

"Hey!" Claudia ran up to Yuffie's chocobo stroking its feathers. "Can you fly? You can fly can't you?"

"Gah! Stop molesting my chocobo you stupid crackho!" Yuffie tried to kick Claudia away.

"I was just asking the chocobo if he can fly! Wow, a surfing chocobo! Kewl!" Claudia slurred as her eyes focused on Tifa and Rufus.

"Oh! That person has two heads and huge breasts!" Claudia pointed at the pair.

Tifa stared blankly at the drunken woman and took a mental note to never travel through Costa Del Sol with small children if she ever had any. "Okay guys, let's head out," Tifa sighed as the group moved around the band of drunkards.

"I think your boobs are fabulous! Absolutely beautiful! Even if you have two heads! Don't forget to teach me how to fly Mr. Chocobo!" Claudia yelled out after the group.

"Was that . . . ?" Rufus asked Tifa.

"Yes."

"Did she . . . ?"

"Yes."

"Did I ever thank you for saving me from her?"

"Yes. And I'm thankful I did it too," Tifa smiled. "Who knows what sort of tortures that woman would have put you through."

Rufus shuddered as he gripped tightly on the reins. "Let's not think about that."

Tifa laughed as her back would occasionally lean into Rufus. He had to remember to thank Yuffie one day for somehow arranging this. He loved the feel of her arms brushing against his and the smell of her sweet-scented hair. Rufus wouldn't even mind having Ace become a permanent member of their party if they could keep their riding arrangements. If Ace actually proved himself on the battlefield, maybe Tifa would consider it. If only he were so lucky.

* * *

Nick paced around the room bitter and upset. He had been making calls all day trying to find some sort of loophole or gullible person who would believe he had rights to ShinRa's fortune. His irritation was only growing more and more as the passionate sounds of neighbors were echoing throughout the tiny hotel. It was the only thing you could hear all day and all night. 

"Damnit! That imbecile working at the ShinRa Bank still refuses to give us any money. Remind me when I'm in office to fire him." Nick seethed as he turned to the shaking walls. "Will you keep it down in there!"

"Don't worry about him. You just need to calm down a bit," Matilda said as she lounged in a chair.

"Why shouldn't I worry? I'm only trying my best to come up with some money so we can hopefully pay those assassins who've agreed to kill President Anderson's administration. I guess you don't think it's going to be much of a problem if we can't pay them and have them start hunting us down like dogs," Nick screamed.

"I said not to worry. I still have an Ace up my sleeve that will help you."

"So what is this secret weapon that you have that's supposed to help me become President of ShinRa?"

"You know about birth certificates, don't you?"

"Yeah, what does my birth certificate have to do with anything?"

"Did you know that the policy for birth certificates is that both parents have to sign it?"

Nick straightened up, "So you're saying that you have hard proof that Augustus ShinRa is my father?"

"I've had this since you were born," Matilda flashed the yellowed piece of paper in front of her son. "This is what will guarantee your place at ShinRa. No one can dispute the signature because it's an original document with the ShinRa seal on it as well."

The document was authentic. There in plain ink were the signatures of Matilda King and Augustus ShinRa. The date on the birth certificate proved that he was born before Rufus and that he and he alone was the rightful heir to the ShinRa fortune. Why did his stupid mother keep this important document away from him for so long? He probably could have had ShinRa years ago if he had known.

"This document is the key to getting me into ShinRa's head seat and you've been keeping it from me all this time?"

"There's a time and place for everything Nicholas. Right now the company is at its weakest."

"But you kept this from me the whole time! It could be me in the President's chair right now; not that bearded geek!"

"If you had known about this document earlier you only would have used it at a bad time. There is no way that you would have survived the Sephiroth and Meteor incident, after all, it killed both your father and that brat Rufus," Matilda retaliated.

"That's where you're wrong mother! I would have been competent enough to prevent that from happening. I would have been a great leader. Better than Rufus ShinRa! Better than my father! I should be the one guiding the people right now in this crisis because it is _my birthright_ and not that lucky ShinRa executive who happened to be the only one who survived after Meteor fell."

"You could have never been a greater leader than your father," Matilda seethed, angry that her son had just insulted her former lover. "He was more of a man than you."

"I guess you would know since you only knew about his politics in bed. Isn't that how you got me in the first place?" Nick said bitterly.

"You little ingrate!" Matilda screeched before launching herself at her son.

Nick quickly reacted as he swatted her hands away and clutched her throat tightly with his hands. He had hated the life his mother had subjected him to. Since the day he was born, she had raised him to become the heir to Augustus ShinRa. She had lied to him and said that his day would come and if he was patient and ShinRa would call on him to lead the country. He had no life outside of her ambitions and eventually those ambitions mutated into his. She was the sole reason he even desired power and wealth. Now she was trying to rob those from him by withholding the birth certificate that would convince ShinRa, Inc. and the world that he was the rightful heir to the company. She was trying to keep him from becoming President by killing him and after he was dead, take all the profits for herself. Nicholas King was not going to let that happen.

"You stupid bitch!" Nick yelled as he tightened his grip on her throat. "Why did you have to doubt me? Why did you have to raise me to be the best, but doubt me now? You told me I was going to be President of ShinRa, you told me I was _destined_ to be President of ShinRa! Now you tell me after all these years of waiting that I could have been heir to the Presidency when I was born! Stupid, stupid _bitch_!"

Through Nick's anger, he didn't notice when his mother's clawing hands were slowly beginning to weaken. He didn't hear the sounds of other hotel patrons in their loud throes of passion. All he was focused on was tightening the grip on his hands tighter and tighter until something snapped. Even if Nick had noticed that his mother was slowly dying, he probably wouldn't have cared. She only wanted her son in office so she could become more powerful. What she didn't anticipate was the fact that her son wasn't willing to share and that was her fatal mistake.

* * *

A/N: The whole scene with the word 'rufus' as a slang word was taken from the movie, _Never Been Kissed_. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it. In the next chapter, my husband might write a little scene. It'll be a small omake scene. Hopefully, I'll have that little treat along with the next chapter sometime before the end of the year . . . hopefully.  



	25. Last of Our Kind

**Chapter 25: Last of our Kind**

Nanaki tried his best to ignore the loud sounds of miners working in the caves. After getting permission from Mr. Wheeler to explore the mountains, he didn't hesitate to search the area for answers to questions that were tickling his brain. He focused his senses and sniffed the ground as he hopped higher and higher along the cliffs. Something bothered him about these mountains. It was something he had sensed when he had gone through the Mythral Mines with Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Aeris many weeks ago. That was when Sephiroth had impaled a Midgar Zolem onto a dead tree. The skeletal remains of the Zolem were still wrapped around the tall tree, a reminder of the destructive power Sephiroth held.

His stomach quivered with apprehension as he walked through the jagged rocks. It was the same eerie feeling he had in the past walking through here the first time. That feeling came back to him yesterday as it prickled at his ears like dust particles dancing in the wind. The pin-prickles were trying to tell him something, something that Nanaki wasn't sure if it was impending doom or something that he was supposed to be led to. Right now those feelings were luring him to the rocky mountains alongside Midgar and Nanaki was following.

He was several hundred yards away from the mines as the sounds of the miners were faintly clattering in the distance. He could hear mice scurrying and birds chirping steadily as nature's echoes grew louder. Sniffing the air, there was something he smelled that reminded him of something from his memories: a smell of a faint perfume or a flower's scent. Nanaki couldn't pinpoint it, but memories of his mother surfaced as nostalgia almost made him miss the sound of tiny pebbles shifting in the rocks above him.

Quickly springing back on his hind-legs, Nanaki jumped high up into the air and landed on a rock hoping to surprise whatever creature was spying on him. What he saw left him speechless as before him stood a creature that looked like his mother. Blinking, the image of his mother disappeared and was replaced by another creature who was just as enchanting. She had amber eyes and a dark-red mane like the color of the dust in Cosmo Canyon. Her sleek brown fur was shiny and smooth like silk with the faintest traces of scars showing him that she was a seasoned warrior. By human standards, they would probably look at her and think that she could tear them limb from limb, which may have been true, but to Nanaki, she was beautiful.

Unfortunately, his minor delay gave the female enough time to spring forward at him in a quick lunge. Her fierce jaws tried to snap down at his neck. Nanaki did his best to defend against her attacks without hurting her, but she was a formidable warrior. However, she had never fought against the most powerful enemies on the planet. She had never fought against a Weapon or Sephiroth. She had never fought with the knowledge that losing would mean the end of the world. She lost the minute she tried to attack Nanaki.

Deftly, Nanaki lept up and bounced off the edge of one of the rocks to propel himself downwards. Using his momentum, he was able to knock the female over and pin her to the ground as she growled in frustration. He studied her reaction carefully as her eyes shone with fury. That fury would soon be replaced with shock and surprise as she slowly processed what she saw.

"You're, one of us! Who . . . who are you?" the female asked.

"I'm Nanaki, son of Seto from Cosmo Canyon," Nanaki said as he let her loose. "Who are you?"

The female kept her defenses up as she cautiously sat up. "I'm Kaya, daughter of Sersa. My mother was from Cosmo Canyon. What are you doing here? I saw you with the humans."

"So you were the one I sensed yesterday," Nanaki smiled.

"Yes, that was me. I was afraid to approach you because you were surrounded by all those men. I thought that they had captured you and were making you their slave."

"Slave? No, I'm not with them as a slave. I'm there to help them as a friend."

Kaya looked confused as she looked at Nanaki suspiciously. "So the humans aren't down there to enslave you or torture you?"

"No," Nanaki said gently to try and reassure her.

"But my mother Sersa told me that humans were evil. That they kidnapped young babies and torture them for their twisted experiments," Kaya almost whispered.

Nanaki took a deep breath as he remembered the horrible experiments he was subjected to from Hojo, "It is true that there are some humans who will do those things. I should know. But not all humans are bad. I have made many good friends among these humans, some that I would trust with my life."

Kaya swallowed deeply as she saw the various scars on Nanaki's body. The scar over his left eye was not made by claw marks and there were scars that were too clean to have been caused by fighting monsters. The dark tattoo of the number 13 also didn't go unnoticed. "I'm . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I just . . . I'm sorry," Kaya bowed her head low in shame. "But how do I know I can trust you? You may be a spy sent by the humans."

"I assure you that I'm not a spy. I am a guardian of Cosmo Canyon and all residents of the Canyon are under my protection: even you."

"But, how can I be under your protection when I've never been to Cosmo Canyon?" Kaya said somewhat sadly as her eyes shone with nostalgia for her mother's birthplace.

"You said your mother was from Cosmo Canyon, so it's your birthright to be a resident. That should be enough to earn my protection."

"So . . . you will protect me just on the fact that my mother was from Cosmo Canyon? Even though you know nothing about me or I you?" Kaya asked skeptically as she studied Nanaki's face.

"Yes, I will," Nanaki answered sincerely.

There was a long pause before Kaya's eyes warmed and she answered, "I don't sense any ill-will at all from you. You have a very kind heart Nanaki, son of Seto. If you truly are the protector of Cosmo Canyon, then I trust you."

"I'm glad that I've earned your trust so quickly. Your mother must have taught you the ways and codes of Cosmo Canyon well. Which reminds me, why are you and your mother out here on the Eastern Continent?"

"Because . . . because, she ran away from Cosmo Canyon before I was born," Kaya answered with a bit of shame. "But I'm certain she had her reasons. My mother is a very wise woman."

"May I meet your mother?"

Kaya looked at Nanaki, uncertain whether or not she should give into his request. He certainly looked honest and spoke with sincerity, but she didn't want to do anything that would upset her mother. "You may follow me, but let me approach my mother first. I don't know how she will take to strangers."

"I understand," Nanaki bowed.

The pair leapt from rock to rock with ease as they made their way through the jagged cliffs. Nanaki studied Kaya carefully as his curiosity finally caved in since talking to her.

"Kaya, I've been wondering. You've mentioned your mother, but I haven't heard anything about your father. Why is that?" Nanaki asked innocently.

Kaya stopped in her tracks as she looked at Nanaki sadly, "My mother never tells me anything about him. She says that it is better off that I not know who my father was."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I've gotten used to it. After all, it's only been myself and my mother out here."

"How long have you been here?"

"42 years, as long as I've been born into this world. Um, how old are you?"

"Only 48. Not that much older than you."

Kaya looked somewhat relieved at his answer. "Do you have any brothers or sisters? What about your parents?" Kaya asked with interest.

"I have no one else," Nanaki replied sadly. "Until now, I thought I was the only one of my kind alive."

"You mean, we're the only ones left?" Kaya stood shocked. "Mother always told me that Cosmo Canyon was filled with more creatures like me. She said that someday I could go there and find where I belong. What happened? Did my mother lie to me?"

"No, she didn't. Cosmo Canyon was once filled with many of our kind. But it's a long story that I'll tell you when we get to your mother."

They finally reached a partially concealed cave in one of the most treacherous parts of the mountain. It would have been nearly impossible for a man to climb up to this cave or even see it from above since the jagged rocks practically hid the mouth of the cave. Kaya motioned for Nanaki to wait outside while she entered. He only had to wait a few minutes before Kaya returned indicating that he was welcome.

As Nanaki entered the cave, he could see many pillars of light from holes in the cave's exterior. The beams illuminated the dark cave and gave it a majestic look. Seated in the back of the cave was an older female who looked ragged and weary with age. Her once fiery fur was now a dull red. Her eyes were glossed over as if she was reflecting on the past in a meditative state. Two distinct bite marks could be seen on her hind legs as pus oozed out of the makeshift bandages of grass and mud. Nanaki stared at the wound and quickly realized that Sersa had been poisoned by a Midgar Zolem. Without even thinking, Nanaki quickly cast a spell to reverse the poison. Green light filled the cave.

"What's going on?" Kaya panicked, never having seen materia in use before.

"Calm down Kaya, he's only healing my wounds," the matriarch finally spoke. She turned her attention to Nanaki before speaking, "They certainly have neglected to teach the younger generation about greeting their elders haven't they Nanaki, son of Seto?"

Nanaki shied away from Sersa's gaze, knowing that he reacted too quickly in healing her wounds before even introducing himself. "I apologize. I only reacted on instinct. Please forgive my intrusion."

Sersa studied Nanaki intensely while Kaya looked between the both of them with confusion. Her wound hurt less thanks to Nanaki, but even the strongest of magic wasn't going to prevent the poison from killing her. If her daughter Kaya had met Nanaki a week ago, then the spell would have completely cured her, but now it was too late and Sersa knew it. "Your apology is accepted. Though I fear that your kindhearted deed will do me no good. The poison is in my blood."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hoped that your wound wasn't too old and the spell would work."

Kaya's face darkened with sorrow after hearing that her mother was still going to die. She had heard that there were people who could use magic to help others and part of the reason why she was straying further from the cave was to find someone who could save her mother, but now that she found them, it was already too late. "So there's nothing you can do to heal her?"

Nanaki shook his head sadly.

"Don't fret Kaya. I accepted my death long ago. It was only a matter of time," Sersa said to try and reassure her daughter. "But let's not dwell on my health. I want to hear more from our guest. So Nanaki, what brings you to the Eastern Continent and how is the tribe?"

Nanaki paused before he answered, knowing that Sersa would not like what he was about to tell her. "How I got to the Eastern Continent is a long story that I'll tell you later. Right now it's important to tell you about the tribe. Kaya told me that you haven't been back to Cosmo Canyon since you left. A lot has happened in the time you were gone."

Sersa sensed the sadness in his voice and dug her nails into the floor. She nodded to Nanaki urging him to continue.

"Over forty years ago, the Gi tribe attacked Cosmo Canyon. Our kind fought bravely to defend the Canyon and we were able to defeat the Gi, but at a high price. Practically all of our kind were either killed or mortally wounded by the Gi. I was spared because I was only a cub at the time, but I lost my mother and my father was turned into stone by the Gi's poison arrows. The few who were still alive swore vengeance and left to destroy the remaining Gi. They never returned. Until this day, I thought I was the last of our kind."

Sersa wept as she heard the news. She had friends and family who would probably be alive today if it wasn't for her mistake. Kaya worriedly nuzzled up to her mother whispering soft words into her ear.

"I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news," Nanaki bowed his head.

"You only told me the truth. And I thank you for letting me know what happened to Cosmo Canyon. It seems the curse is true," Sersa said sadly.

"Curse?" Nanaki perked his ears up in curiosity. "What curse?"

Sersa took a deep breath as she closed her eyes in thought. "Kaya, please sit with Nanaki as I tell you two about the 'Curse of the Guado.'"

Kaya obediently obeyed as she had never heard her mother tell her this story. Lying on their stomachs, the pair watched Sersa attentively as she opened her eyes and gazed at them quietly.

"It happened a long, long time ago. So long that those who tell the story have forgotten how long ago it was. Back then, our kind used to be called the Ronso Tribe. We had the ability to walk like the humans do and had horns on our heads symbolizing our strength. The Ronso used to live on top of a tall snowy mountain and had fur the color of ice. The mountain was their protector. The mountain could keep their enemies away from them and it could freeze them; they revered it and feared it. However, as the mountain did its best to protect the Ronso, there was one threat so powerful it could do nothing to stop him.

"A lone male from the Guado Tribe climbed the mountain with the intentions of harming a priestess of the land. He thought he was a god. The Ronso Tribe swore to protect the priestess and many of them were murdered by the man. Eventually the man was destroyed, but the hatred that many Ronso had over the massacre still lingered. They blamed the Guado. The Ronso were torn over whether they should rise up and destroy the Guado or leave them alone. The Guado were remorseful for what happened to the Ronso, but that wasn't enough to quench their hatred. The Ronso elder and the priestess they had saved tried to convince them that peace was the only way, but not everyone listened.

"In the end the hatred festered and dug deep into the hearts of the younger, stronger Ronso as they decided to exterminate the Guado Tribe. They attacked the Guado destroying their homes and killing everyone in sight. Though most of the Guado resigned to their deaths, a few fought back, but it wasn't enough. It was a massacre. Eventually some time passed and the massacre was almost forgotten, but the souls of the Guado did not forget.

"It was rumored that before the Guado were killed, a few of them put a curse on the Ronso saying that eventually their tribe would be annihilated for what they did. Most didn't believe the curse, but over the years, they started to. One day unexpectedly, the mountain that protected the Ronso exploded raining down fire and death. The mountain was angry with the Ronso. Many died as the home that helped protect them became their destruction.

"There were survivors and those remaining Ronso fled the mountain fearing that the mountain was punishing them for destroying the Guado. The Ronso now needed to find a new home, and so they walked. The Ronso walked and walked for miles upon miles until their feet were tired and they had to use their hands to help drag them along. The Ronso wandered for years walking on both their hands and feet until eventually they had forgotten how to stand and lost their ability to walk with the humans.

"After wandering for some years, the Ronso found another mountain to live in. This mountain was red like the sun and warmed their tired bodies. But the Ronso's ice-like fur stood out amongst the red rocks. So the Ronso decided to dig caves to hide in. But the mountain's walls were very hard and the Ronso could not dig the rock with their hands, so they used their horns to break the rock. The digging was difficult and many horns would break or shatter into tiny pieces as the Ronso dug with their horns. Finally the Ronso were able to complete all the caves to hide in, but at a price. After all the digging was over, there were no more Ronso with horns, and so the Ronso gained a new home but at the cost of their horns of strength.

"As the Ronso settled into the caves, many Ronso found that the red dust of the rocks helped cover their bluish fur and turned it red like the mountain. Soon, the Ronso all covered themselves in the dust of the mountain and concealed their blue fur. The Ronso also spent more time underneath the scorching sun, something they were once protected from by their old home atop the icy mountain. Over time, the scorching sun baked the red dust into their fur until the Ronso became a fiery color like the mountain. That fire extended to their heart, soul and bodies. Fire is what destroyed their first home and it is what created their new one. The Ronso found a new existence, swearing to protect their new home. They lived there in peace completely forgetting the supposed curse that was upon them and forgetting that they were once called the Ronso."

Nanaki and Kaya stared at Sersa amazed at the story. They never knew about their ancestry or that once long ago, their kind could walk alongside humans.

"Why hadn't I heard this tale before from my grandfather Bugenhagen?" Nanaki asked.

"Because this is a tale that can only be told by descendants of the Ronso. Bugenhagen knew about the legend, but out of courtesy to our customs, couldn't tell you. I wonder if he would have in time knowing you were the last."

"Grandfather always thought there were more of my kind alive. I guess he hoped I would find them like I found you both."

"I'm glad to hear that Bugenhagen is as wise as he always has been. But as you can see, the curse has caught up with us and now we are probably the last of what was the Ronso tribe," Sersa quietly added. "And soon it will only be the both of you."

Kaya wept silently as she walked over to her mother and nuzzled her closely. She didn't want to lose her. She couldn't ever think of a time when her mother wasn't there guiding her, protecting her. Now she was going to be on her own and the last female of her kind. "Please don't leave me mother. Please."

"I'm not ready for death quite yet. My time is coming soon, but not now. I'm sorry that you won't be able to see the Cosmo Canyon I've always told you about," Sersa wept alongside her daughter. "But I'm sure the Cosmo Candle will still burn bright like it always does."

"It's alright mother. It's alright," Kaya said softly.

Nanaki watched the two women share their intimate moment and quietly walked to the entrance of the cave to give them some privacy. They had a lot of emotional stress to deal with and he knew there would be a lot more to come. They needed their time with each other, even if it was for a moment. As he sat at the entrance to the cave, he thought about the warm sun beating down on his fur. _Were my ancestors once proud creatures with blue fur? Did they once stand tall next to humans?_ Nanaki pondered those questions and realized that the answers to those questions didn't matter. It was whether he and Kaya could atone for what their ancestors did many years ago and if they could ensure that the future generations would not make the same mistake.

As Nanaki sat there in thought, Kaya walked out of the cave and sat next to him. She still had tears stains on her brownish fur. Nanaki knew that it would be some time before she would come to terms with her mother's death. He knew that it was a long time before he could accept the death of his mother.

"My mother wishes to speak to you," Kaya said calmly. "She wishes to discuss something of importance."

"Will you be alright out here?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I just need to meditate on things."

Nanaki nodded and walked back into the cave, but not before stealing one small glance at Kaya who sat in deep thought outside the cave. As Nanaki approached Sersa, he bowed his head low. "You wished to speak to me?"

"Yes, please sit. I have a lot to tell you. There are things that I need to take care of before I leave and things that I need to say before all my knowledge is lost forever," Sersa said with a melancholy look. "This isn't going to be easy for me. I'll need your understanding and patience."

"Don't worry. I will listen with an open mind and do whatever you ask of me."

"Good. Let me first talk to you regarding my daughter. I'm sure you've already determined that she is to be your mate. I already told her what to expect and I taught her how to be a good mate. If the situation were different, I would be a bit more cautious before I gave her to you, but I knew your parents and they were both honorable warriors. Also, in the little time I've gotten to know you, you have proven to be noble and brave, just like your father. Though that may be the case, I will never forgive anyone who harms my daughter in any way shape or form."

"I swore a pledge to protect anyone from Cosmo Canyon from harm, that vow extends to your daughter. I've seen too much hurt and pain in this world to wish it upon anyone else. I swear to you that I will treat her like my equal," Nanaki bowed low.

Sersa smiled as she watched Nanaki bow to her. He certainly wanted to prove to her that she could trust him, but it was time for the final test. "Before I give you my blessing, I have to tell you the story about why I ran away from Cosmo Canyon. The story first starts back a long time ago when the first of our ancestors stepped foot in Cosmo Canyon. Apparently, long ago when the Ronso came to dwell in Cosmo Canyon, there was a group of Ronso who left the Canyon hoping to find better land. They eventually settled not too far away from the Canyon, but didn't receive the warm blessing of the sun like our tribe. They lived in the shadows out in the dusty canyon: they renamed themselves as the Gi Tribe. The two tribes lived separately with different ideals and customs. It wasn't until fifty years ago that they incidentally met up again.

"At first, their meetings were friendly as the two tribes spoke of what each did. However, as the Gi tribe visited Cosmo Canyon more and more, they grew jealous of what the Canyon had to offer. We had the warm sunlight: they did not. We had the protection of the mountain: they did not. Over time, the Gi grew more hostile towards our tribe, claiming stake on our lands and trying to force themselves into the Canyon. Our tribe defended its territory telling the Gi that they had their land and we had ours. The tensions between the two tribes turned into an unspoken war.

"Despite the tension, some of the Gi tribe still tried to hold amicable relations with our tribe. One such member of the Gi was a man name Nattak. He was a strong warrior and also captured the hearts of many women both Gi and Cosmo alike. I was considered the lucky one since he chose me out of all those women to be his mate. At the time, I thought I was lucky, but the Gi were deceptive and Nattak was no exception.

"My parents could sense that Nattak was not who I thought he was. They forbade me from meeting with him, but I didn't listen. We met in secret. Sometimes I would sneak into his village, but mostly he would sneak into Cosmo Canyon. I was a fool. The entire time we were meeting behind everyone's back, I thought he was doing it because he loved me. In fact, he was just making me show him all the secret entrances and places in Cosmo Canyon. I told him how to sneak into the Canyon without getting noticed. I showed him all the right spots to hide where no one would see him. I handed him the weaknesses to Cosmo Canyon on a silver platter," Sersa sobbed.

"How did you find out he wasn't what he seemed?" Nanaki asked.

"It was late one night. I wanted to surprise him by sneaking into his village. When I finally got there, Nattak was meeting with his village elders. I overheard them talking about all the places I showed him. I heard him telling the elders where they should attack Cosmo Canyon. My blood chilled hearing him describe the secrets I showed him. Half-way through their meeting, they somehow heard me. When I saw Nattak a part of me hoped that he would tell me that everything was just a joke and that he truly did love me like he said he did. But when he started to chase after me like prey to be hunted my heart froze. His eyes weren't filled with that twinkle that I loved; they were filled with rage and murder. He wanted me dead. I knew that everything I thought I knew about him was a lie.

"I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. It didn't matter where I ran as long as I ran. I know that Nattak and some other members of the Gi tribe were chasing me as I heard their heavy breath and the thundering of their feet stampeding towards me. They came so close to catching me that I thought I once felt their teeth nearly sink into my body. I don't know how long I had run before the only sounds I could hear was my own breath and tired feet pounding against the ground. I only stopped when I found that my legs couldn't move anymore. I wandered tirelessly for days eating only when I could and drinking the little water I came across. I had to get away. Eventually, I found myself here. I didn't learn I was pregnant with Kaya until a month later. I've stayed here ever since."

"So Kaya's father was Nattak?"

"Yes. Kaya is part-Gi. But even knowing that, will you still protect her?"

"With my life," Nanaki answered without hesitation. "I learned through your stories and through my father that hatred and disdain are not traits that lead to progress. The only way to learn is through understanding and acceptance. Being blinded by vengeance will only cause you to lose sight of what's truly important."

"Very wise words from one as young as you: Seto raised you well."

"It was through my own mistakes that I learn such wisdom. But I want to know. Why didn't you go back to Cosmo Canyon after Kaya was born?" Nanaki asked curiously.

"I was ashamed for what I did and feared that I would be killed or banished for my foolish mistake. I also couldn't bear to return if Nattak was still alive. I can never forgive him for what he did. But after hearing your story, I wish I did return."

"You could have never known of what happened to the Canyon. And I don't think you should blame yourself for the Gi's attack either. If Nattak didn't use you, he would have used someone else."

"True, but Nattak did give me one thing that I would never part with in a millions years: Kaya," Sersa smiled. "The happiest moment in my life was bringing her into this world. Now that you've heard all of that, I want you to understand why I want you to protect my daughter and to keep her from harm. She should never have to suffer the same way I did. Please don't tell her what I just told you. She doesn't need to know about hatred and heartache."

"I promise, she won't know. I also promise to protect her and just to reassure you, I'm not going to pressure her into becoming my mate. Just because I'm the last male species of her kind, doesn't give me the right to take her without her mutual consent."

Sersa smiled as she listened to Nanaki. He was so different from Nattak. Where Nattak was proud and confidant, Nanaki stood observant and knowing. Where Nattak was romantic and aggressive, Nanaki was eloquent and accepting. It probably had to do with the fact that Kaya was probably one of the first females he saw since his mother and Seto had always been more of a shy male compared to others in the tribe. But there was no disputing the strength that Nanaki had. He was far stronger than Nattak was and possibly exceeded his father Seto. Kaya had found a wonderful mate.

"Thank you for your reassurance. I know that you'll treat her well. Now go to her," Sersa motioned to the cave's entrance.

Nanaki nodded his thanks to Sersa as he walked out to where Kaya still sat staring out into the distace. He sat down next to her silently as she shyly turned around and smiled.

"So you spoke to my mother?"

"Yes."

"And what did she tell you?" Kaya asked almost expecting a certain answer.

"That I am to be your mate, if you will take me."

Kaya looked at Nanaki slightly confused, "Of course I'll take you as my mate. You're a male and I'm a female."

"But if you had more suitors, if you had the ability to choose; would you still be so accepting?" Nanaki asked. "I only ask you this because though I don't mind being your mate and it may be my right to take you without your consent, I also don't want you to feel like you have to go through with this if you don't want to."

"I do want to be mated, but I also am a bit scared. My mother has told me different aspects of being a mate, but I don't know if I will be good enough. I have no experience in the outside world and I'm frightfully anxious about everything."

"I don't blame you for being frightened. The world is indeed a scary place, but it also holds many beautiful secrets that will make you feel privileged to be alive. Also, if you want to wait a bit to get to know each other more, then it wouldn't bother me."

Kaya smiled at Nanaki appreciatively as she answered, "Thank you for giving me the choice. As strange as it may seem, a part of me wouldn't mind becoming your mate right now. Mother told me that it wasn't uncommon for two mates to join a day after meeting and in fact, that was almost custom. Have you heard about that?" Kaya asked.

"Yes, I have. I think I remember my mother telling me that she was almost insulted when my father didn't ask her to be his mate until a week after they were of age," Nanaki said as he gave Kaya a warm smile.

"Are you going to make me wait a week?" Kaya laughed.

"Do you want to wait a week?" Nanaki asked shyly. "I will take you now if you want, but . . . it is up to you."

Kaya smiled as she bravely walked up to Nanaki and nuzzled his neck. She had never shown affection to anyone other than her mother, but somehow it felt right doing this with him. "Nanaki, if my mother has approved of you, then I know I will be blessed with a kind mate. I trust her judgment and I also trust my instincts," Kaya said as she slowly brought her fiery tail out for Nanaki, signaling her acceptance as his mate.

Nanaki smiled as he brought his tail around and intertwined it with Kaya's, "As you Kaya, daughter of Sersa accept me to be your mate. I, Nanaki, son of Seto accept you as mine."

He watched as their tails twisted around like string, fused together. They dipped both of their tips towards each other until the fire on their tails joined and burned into a brilliantly glowing blaze. The fire flickered briefly as the pair saw a glimpse of the children they would have in the future. Both gasped as they stared into the fire. It was rumored that sometimes mates would be able to see part of their partner's soul or even a glimpse into the future when they began their courtship. Occurrences like that were rare and usually when they did occur, they took it as a sign that the courtship was blessed by their ancestors. They both smiled at each other as Kaya leaned forward to gently nuzzle Nanaki. He responded in kind and licked her tenderly on the cheek. They had joined their souls and now the union was complete.

Sersa watched her daughter and Nanaki as they completed the ceremony. She also saw the vision within their joined souls and smiled as she pictured the grandchildren she would never get to see. Never in her life had she seen any pair be blessed with the Fire of Souls. Turning back inside the cave, she felt at ease knowing that her daughter would be safe and loved. Resting on the warm rock, she closed her eyes and dreamed of the past before she met Nattak and before the Gi ever came into their lives. Though she wouldn't remember it, Sersa would eventually dream about her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren as she envisioned her daughter and Nanaki surviving well over several centuries.

The Cosmo Candle burned brightly for a second as the flames flickered and crackled in the heart of Cosmo Canyon. Many residents of the canyon didn't notice the sudden change in the Candle, but Bugenhagen did. The old man smiled broadly as he laughed heartily. The planet had been saved from Meteor, Holy had spared mankind and the lifestream was slowly healing all the damage done to the planet; what was there not to be joyful and boisterous about? However, Bugenhagen had just seen a vision through the Cosmo Candle that uplifted his spirits beyond the boundaries of joy.

Floating along the dusty red rocks, the old man opened up the secret passage leading to the back of the Canyon. Making sure to close it back up after he left, he bounded his way through the dark twisted passageways and smiled warmly at the few remaining Gi spirits who refused to return to the lifestream. As Bugenhagen smiled at them, the Gi merely hissed back and sauntered away into the shadows. The Gi knew better than to attack Bugenhagen and the embarrassing defeat they faced from Nanaki and his friends was still fresh in their minds. The old man finally made his way to the back of the cave where the permanently stoned figure of an old friend stood eternally combating the Gi.

Bugenhagen floated up to where Seto stood overlooking the Canyon. Putting his hand on Seto's head, he remembered how soft his fiery fur used to be, but now it was nothing but hardened stone. Nevertheless, Bugenhagen stroked Seto's mane as if Seto were still live flesh and blood.

"I have some good news Seto my old friend. It seems as if your son has found a mate," Bugenhagen laughed with glee. He could almost feel the warmth of Seto's heart after hearing the good news.

"This mate of his is quite beautiful for a female of your tribe. Very brazen and sweet. You would have liked her. But not only that, the two were able to invoke the Fire of Souls," Bugenhagen smiled. "I haven't witnessed a pair invoke the Fire of Souls since I was a mere boy."

Bugenhagen looked down at Seto and thought he could almost see him beaming with pride.

"You ought to be proud. Nanaki is a wonderful child and he will make a fine leader when I finally pass away. Don't worry, I'll make sure to tell him and his new mate to visit you often so you don't get lonely. I'm sure they'll show you their grandkids as well," Bugenhagen laughed heartily."

Bugenhagen could almost hear Seto laughing along with him.

"Perhaps when the pair return to Cosmo Canyon, I should tell them the legend of the Fire of Souls and the Cosmo Candle?"

Bugenhagen could feel the warmth spread in Seto as he tried to smile. Though Seto couldn't physically smile anymore, Bugenhagen knew that Seto was at least smiling on the inside.

"Yes, you're right. I should," Bugenhagen said softly.

Seto was grateful for his friendship with Bugenhagen. He had been trying in vain to respond in some way to answer the wise man's questions. Seto had been trying little by little to move his stoned body from his resting place onto of the cliffs. In the past forty years he had been unsuccessful in even moving a millimeter. However tonight, the upper part of his lip moved ever so slightly as he thought about his son and the future grandchildren he would have.

* * *

**Chapter 25a: Random Encounter (written by Proteus)**

Tifa and Rufus heard the voice of the newest member of their awkward party of four from behind them. "I'm totally bored," Ace said just over the sound of Chocobo feet clomping rhythmically on the ground.

"We don't care!" Tifa and Rufus said and glanced at each other briefly. They had lost count of the many times Ace had proclaimed his boredom. Their frustration with Yuffie and her new boyfriend of sorts was growing in ways they had not really been prepared for when they set out with him. Ace's presence restricted conversation a lot. They could not even talk much about the task ahead since it seemed a little late in the game to suddenly tell Ace they were actually searching for a vicious demonic entity. Perhaps the final straw was that his ride, Sabina, seemed to be struggling under his weight as it was and he had brought along two surfboards on a journey inland. Hopefully, Tifa and Rufus thought, they could drop him off at the Gold Saucer and be done with him. The chocobo ride to Mt. Corel had never before seemed so long.

"Dude," Ace hollered ahead. "Behind us!" A flight of large birds skimmed the ground and closed in on the AVALANCHE members plus Ace. They swooped past clumsily, unable to keep up with the quick gait of the chocobos. "Whoa. Everything's attacking us."

Tifa spoke over her shoulder. "Some of the creatures here probably think we're a threat to their nesting ground. And some of the creatures, well… I guess they've learned over generations that humans will hunt them down and harm the planet so they fear us."

"Yeah," Yuffie said. "And some of them are just bastards."

The birds grazed past them as the chocobos rushed onward. "There's so many of them," Rufus said.

"As long as we stay on our chocobos we can outrun them," Tifa said. "So don't worry."

"I'm not worried," Rufus said.

Tifa could tell he really wasn't afraid. In that moment, she could see something in him she had not noticed before and had trouble pinpointing. It was a kind of nobility and fearlessness. There was something familiar about it. "You know, you remind me of someone."

Rufus blinked. "Huh? What do you…?" Had she finally recognized him? Had she finally seen through his charade?

"Why that look?" Tifa said and smiled faintly. "I was just thinking you reminded me of someone I used to know."

"I do?" Rufus said. He relaxed somewhat.

"You do. But he's… not with us anymore." Tifa felt a sting in her heart as she became aware of the emptiness left by Cloud's passing.

Rufus nodded quietly, not quite understanding. The birds continued to swoop past. _As long as we stay on our chocobos_. Rufus listened all around. He glanced over his shoulder and then something in his gut sank. "Where did Ace and Yuffie go?"

Tifa looked back, stunned. "Eh?"

They both looked straight back to see the birds converging around two human figures. Ace stood over the gold chocobo Sabina, currently passed out cold on the ground. If Ace's weight had not been too much for her, the sprint to escape the birds had. Yuffie flailed her arms excitedly nearby.

Tifa and Rufus exchanged glances before turning around and charging back at full speed. One of the avian creatures swooped towards Ace. Tifa leapt off Mortius and intercepted a jagged beak with a powerful kick. The bird nearly disintegrated in a puff of feathers. Rufus winced, having a greater appreciation for the acting leader of AVALANCHE. He drew Vincent's weapon and fired at a second bird. In the fury of the moment, Rufus forgot about the Death Penalty's surprisingly powerful kickback and was nearly thrown off balance and caused the shot to go wild, but just clipping its target still proved to be fatal. Ace grinned like an idiot and stood his ground. "Cool!"

"What are you doing?" Tifa snarled. "Are you trying to get killed?"

"Hey," Ace said, "Just havin' a little fun, you know?"

"You don't even have a weapon!" Tifa shot back.

"Au contraire," Ace said. "You obviously haven't heard of my gnarly board blade skills!"

Rufus and Tifa blinked. "Board blade…?"

Ace grinned and lifted one of his surf boards off the ground from near Sabina. He held it loosely in his hands and straddled his legs into a broad fighting stance as another flight of dark avian creatures descended. He hit a switch on the bottom of the board and like an enormous switchblade, three blades extended from the front of the board.

Tifa sighed. "You're kidding me…"

Yuffie smiled. "Didn't you know Ace is the best board blader in Costa Del Sol?"

Rufus blinked. "How many _are_ there?"

Yuffie seemed to think about this for a moment. "Actually he's the only one. He kind of invented it."

Ace let out a cry and swung the enormous board at a bird. It seemed to be more confused than injured, but nonetheless retreated, allowing several of its companions to attack.

Tifa sighed.

"Do you think," Rufus whispered, "We could just leave him here?"

Tifa pointed to Sabina, barely conscious even now. "Not without my gold chocobo."

Rufus shook his head and aimed Vincent's gun again, this time more conscious that it was much more powerful than most guns he had ever used. Several more birds fell as he fired, Tifa kicked, Yuffie sliced, and Ace flailed.

None of the four knew exactly how much time had passed when the final bird fell. Sabina struggled to her feet and seemed visibly perturbed with Ace. Rufus, Tifa, and Yuffie had come out fairly clean. Ace had been pecked bloody.

"Aw… That's it?" the surfer cried.

From above, the four heard dozens of squawks. A massive wave of creatures was closing in fast.

Rufus barely masked his frustration. "Let's just end this."

Tifa nodded.

"Hold it! Hold it!" Ace said. "Let me handle this!" He raised his board. A shimmering red gem had been encrusted into the side and the other three could all recognize what it was. Yuffie let out an exuberant gasp. Materia. Ace smirked and the jewel flashed. A beam of light shot into the distance. And then there was nothing.

The birds drew closer. Sabina jumped as she noticed the flight of monsters on hand. As the party of four braced for the birds to attack, they became aware of a roaring noise. It sounded to Rufus a little like the roar of a massive engine. The sky darkened and they all turned to see the source of the noise. It was not an engine. It was the ocean. A massive tidal wave raced inland. Ant-like spots dotted the surface of the wave, swarming the water. As the wave closed and the AVALANCHE members and chocobos sought shelter, the wave grew larger and the spots became more visible.

Mogs. Riding on chocobos. Riding on surfboards.

The wave slammed hard into the ground. The wild chocobos plowed through the last of the birds, washing them all away. The very tired, very wet AVALANCHE members came out into the open. Sabina flicked the water off of her feathers. Ace grinned. "Aw, now that is totally, totally Rufus!"

Rufus Shinra glared at Ace and wished the surfer had not been looking at him when he had said that. He briefly imagined some of the things the Turks would have done to this nuisance of a man. Then he realized it was probably wishful thinking on his part.

As they collected their chocobos and continued on the journey, a starry-eyed Yuffie asked John if she could have a look at his "board blade." As soon as he handed it over to her and she began inspecting it scrupulously, Tifa knew that Ace would never see that peculiar summon materia again.

"Kind of strange, isn't it?" Rufus asked.

Tifa turned to him. "Huh?"

"Isn't it pretty unusual to see many creatures attack all at once?"

"You know… it is."

"What could have caused that?"

Tifa shook her head. "I really don't know."

Rufus was quiet for a moment. "Do you suppose…?"

"Hm?"

He turned to her. "Something nearby stirred them up?"

As Yuffie and Ace flirted, Tifa and Rufus sank to the rear, continuing on in stony silence.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 25a was written by my husband. I'm sure you can see the notable writing style. I helped give him pointers on characterization and plot, but the idea was basically all his. If you want to comment about this, the entirety of WJS or any of my other works, I started up a forum. It's open to anything regarding my works or just anything if it's appropriate. Drop me a line if you want. 


	26. Shot in the Dark

**Chapter 26: Shot in the Dark**

The sounds of metal against rock clanged against the mountain walls as miners shuffled to and fro. Cid and Barret were busy barking orders around making sure that the work was done and done as soon as possible. Shera was busy running the gigantic metal praying mantis that was chipping away at the rock like shredding paper. The miners knew well to stay clear of the petite woman and if the sympathy pains that they had all felt for Dirk weren't enough warning, the jealous eye of a certain short tempered pilot kept the miners' libidos in check.

"Captain Highwind, how are things progressing?" Thomas asked as he walked through the mines.

"Peachy keen. You don't need to sweat kid. We're doin' good," Cid said as he balanced a cigarette between his lips.

"Then you wouldn't be too put off if I give my usual report to Ms. Noval?"

"Take as long as you want. Me and Little Bear can hold the fort down." Cid gave Thomas a thumbs up.

"You better shut yo' mouth there Highwind. Only my Aunt Donna can call me that," Barret's voice boomed in the tunnel.

"You two aren't going to start throwing grenades at each other again, are you?" Thomas asked with a tinge of unease.

"Nah, we learned our lesson. We'll wait until we get to Kalm before I bust a cap in his ass," Barret laughed.

Thomas hesitantly left the mines as he passed nervous glances over Barret and Cid. He whispered a silent prayer as he left the mines and hoped that the dynamic duo would refrain from taking pot shots at each other during the dig. Private Pete quickly joined Thomas as the soldier escorted the executive through the winding tunnels.

"Pete, do you think they'll behave?" Thomas asked hoping for a little reassurance.

"I don't know? They sure like picking on each other a lot. I think they'll be okay. I mean, we got rid of all the grenades after what they did yesterday, right?" Pete smiled innocently.

"True," Thomas answered without feeling any more persuaded. After all, it was human to err and Cid Highwind and Barret Wallace were two humans who tended to side on erring: a lot.

Pete and Thomas quickly made their way outside the caves and walked out into the grassy plains near Fort Condor. They were immediately accosted by a skittish buxom blonde-haired woman.

"You're five minutes late Mr. Wheeler," the woman crossed her arms in front of the two men.

"I apologize Ms. Noval. I just had to make sure that there was someone competent to supervise the miners."

"Mr. Highwind and Mr. Wallace I presume?"

"Unfortunately."

Autumn raised her brow in amusement as she tried her best to hide the levity in her voice. "I guess I can forgive you this time. But don't expect that excuse to work again."

"Well, if they decide to blow up the mines again, I'm sure that would be a good enough excuse to be late," Thomas teased.

"Don't worry, I already told you that I think they got rid of all the grenades," Pete chimed in.

"You _think_ there are no more grenades?" Autumn asked doubtfully.

The ShinRa soldier looked startled, almost as if he recognized Autumn as some venomous snake that was about to strike. "Well, I ah, I don't know for certain. I just heard from the guy getting the stuff out that there weren't any. I mean, I'm sure the guy did his job, right?" Pete winced under Autumn's scrutinizing gaze. "Hey come on lady, give me a break. I'm just telling you what I know."

"Pete, don't worry about it. Just stand over there in the corner and do whatever it is that you do," Thomas quickly added to save Pete from the awkward situation he had gotten himself into.

"Aye, aye Captain!" Pete said as he saluted and quickly walked a safe distance away from the pair.

"Sorry about Pete, he tends to get too enthusiastic about his job."

"No, it's okay. He was just doing his job and I'm just doing mine. But now that we have all those formalities out of the way, how about we start on that interview you agreed to yesterday evening," as Autumn flipped open her notepad and flashed him a warm smile.

"I've never really done this before, but I promised you an interview and I'm not going to go back on that Ms. Noval," Thomas said as his green eyes flashed with a tinge of excitement.

"Please, just call me Autumn."

"Alright Autumn. By the way, you can call me Tom."

"What's important is to be comfortable and upfront with your answers," Autumn advised. "And don't worry, I'll be gentle. So what made you decide to become a civil servant?"

"I've always wanted to work for the government since my grandfather did years ago. How about you? What made you decide to become a journalist?"

"Hey, I thought I was the one giving the interview here," Autumn playfully chided.

"Oh, did I breach some sort of interviewer, interviewee rule? I was just curious."

"Sort of. It's an unspoken rule. The interviewee doesn't get to ask personal questions. But since you're new at this, I'll let that one slide," Autumn winked. "Now where was I? Oh! How long have you been with the company and what sort of changes do you think the company will go through after these recent events?"

"I started working for the company two years ago as an aide to Mr. Palmer. In terms of what will happen to the company, that's really hard to say. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of reshuffling within the company as we assess which divisions need more staff and try to accommodate for all the people who have been misplaced by this tragedy."

"Un, huh. Got that." Autumn wrote his quote down in a fervor. "So how long do you project it will take for the company to restructure?"

"Probably a few months. Hopefully sooner." Thomas watched as Autumn scribbled down his quote. "So do all journalists write out every single word like you do? I thought they all knew shorthand."

Autumn pulled her notepad closer to her as she gave Thomas an exasperated look. "Just so you know, not all journalists use shorthand. It's just more accurate to write everything down like I'm doing." Autumn shot him a warning look.

"Sorry, I breached the unspoken rule again, didn't I?" Thomas smiled apologetically.

Autumn stared at Thomas's emerald-like eyes and sighed as her irritation at him melted away. He was much too honest and Autumn found that redeeming quality: attractive. "Yes, you did. I guess I'm going to have to satisfy your curiosity in order for me to get the answers I need. How about we make deal? I ask you a question and then you ask me one so we can both satisfy our curiosities."

"Another deal?" Thomas tilted his head. "You're certainly quite a gambler making all these deals with me."

"Tit for tat Tom, tit for tat." Autumn poked Thomas with the end of her pen. "So what's your first question to me?"

"Well you never answered my question about why you became a journalist," Thomas smiled.

"You're actually going to laugh at me when I tell you this. But I made a bet with my college roommate that I could write a better story than she could. She was a Journalism major at the time and I was just an English major. We decided to submit stories about the same subject to the college paper and see whose story got published. The story that got published was the person who won. Well, as it turns out, neither of us won because one of the dorms on campus caught on fire so all the headlines were changed at the last minute. So then we tried our hand at writing an article about the dorm fire and pretty soon, my roommate got me to join the editorial staff of the paper. I decided to change my major, graduate and then I landed a job at the Junon Star and the rest is history."

"What happened to your roommate?"

"That's another question that I'll answer after you answer my question. Remember, tit for tat." Autumn flipped to a fresh page of her notebook. "So, what are the immediate plans for the citizens of Midgar once they are evacuated?"

"Right now Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rivers are working on that solution while I stay and monitor the progress of the tunnel dig. When I last spoke with them, they informed me that they are considering a new settlement to be built somewhere near both Midgar and these mines to quickly get the citizens some shelter," Thomas answered. "So, what happened to your roommate?"

Autumn smiled as she finished writing down his answer. "Oh, my roommate is an editor at the Junon Star. She was always better at the administrative part of working a paper. But I was the better writer. Are their any plans to rebuild Midgar?"

"Those discussions have been briefly touched on and the President has agreed to consider it, but the primary focus will be on the excavation and safety of the citizens. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I have one sister and one brother, both younger than me. My brother just finished military training in Junon and my sister just started her term with the Bone Village exploration team as an archeologist. What sort of safety concerns will the President be looking at when considering the rebuilding of Midgar?"

"He'll be looking at the extent of the structural damage and what parts of the city are still stable enough to house citizens. We also have to explore the possibilities of numerous mako leaks around the city since Meteor damaged all the mako reactors. So you're the oldest of three. You're kinda lucky. I'm an only child and never had the privilege of siblings, especially younger ones."

There was a slight pause as Autumn eyed Thomas inquisitively. "You know that you didn't ask me a question, right? How can this be a tit for tat when there's no tat?"

"Ah, that's true, but I don't have to answer that because I haven't provided you with a question for you to answer," Thomas said. "So what was it that you wanted to do before your roommate sucked you into the world of journalism?"

Autumn closed her notepad as she comfortably looked up at the sky; a faint memory triggered a small smile on her face. "I wanted to be a novelist. Not just any old novelist mind you, but a writer who wrote stories about far away places and different worlds that only appear in our imagination."

Thomas studied Autumn's face. He could tell that she was dreaming of her imaginary worlds with her imaginary characters dancing in her mind. He wondered what her characters were like and if he could read her stories. "Why don't you go ahead and write them?"

"Don't be foolish. No one would ever read them," Autumn laughed.

"I'll read them," Thomas answered truthfully.

Autumn looked at Thomas as she gazed into his eyes. They were bright and hopeful, masking nothing. Autumn was slightly startled at how honorable he was and she was touched. Men like him were rare these days. "If I write them, do you promise to read them all, even if they're really bad?"

"I promise I'll read all of your books. Even the bad ones, though I somehow doubt that you would write a bad story considering how you claim to be such a good writer."

"Being a good writer doesn't necessarily mean that I'll write stories that people will like. But thanks, that really does mean a lot to me," Autumn's face softened.

"You're welcome," Thomas smiled. "Um, I guess you don't have anymore questions for me, do you?"

"No, the interview is officially over. I may have some follow-up questions for you later, but for now, you survived."

"I guess they don't give out T-shirts for things like this saying something like 'I survived an interview with Autumn Noval,'" Thomas said as he laughed.

Autumn laughed along with him as she relaxed herself around the young executive. "No, but they should."

Pete watched the pair as they talked comfortably in the grassy plains. He couldn't believe that he didn't recognize her name when he first heard it. It's not everyday that you meet a reporter for the Junon Star named Autumn; the same reporter who Pete had heard many infamous stories about from his friend Larry. Stories about a woman who could chill your blood with a look, which was what Pete felt when she glared at him. He was certain that the woman Thomas was talking to was the same woman his friend Larry had warned him about.

Now when Pete first heard the story from Larry, he didn't believe that such a woman existed. Pete concluded that Larry was just making up how cold and calculating the woman was and she was probably just misunderstood. But now after seeing Autumn and being victim to her ice-blue eyes, he decided that it was probably better to believe his friend Larry after all.

"Thanks for the interview Tom. I look forward to the time when you have to give me that next update," Autumn shook Thomas's hand.

"You're welcome Autumn. I'm glad to be of service."

Thomas watched as Autumn walked back to her dusty jeep she had apparently driven all the way down from Junon. Her small tent was pitched right next to it as Thomas wondered why she wasn't afraid of any monsters sneaking up on her in the middle of the night. He briefly considered ordering one of the soldiers to guard the plains where Autumn slept to ensure her safety, but thought better of it since they were short-staffed as it was. Besides, she was a tough girl.

Pete came up behind Thomas and gently prodded him in the shoulder. "You okay buddy?" Pete asked sincerely.

"Yeah, why would I not be?" Thomas wondered why Pete was being so overprotective.

"Well you were talking to that woman for a long time and frankly, she's downright scary," Pete whispered.

"Autumn? Scary? Intimidating yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to call her scary."

"She sure as hell scared me. But I heard that she has sort of a bad rep."

"Bad rep? What sort of bad rep?" Thomas asked slightly intrigued.

"Well, I heard that when it comes to getting a story, she can be kind of . . . well . . . a bitch."

"Who told you that?"

Pete took off his helmet and scratched his sandy blonde-hair as he told his story. "Well, my friend Larry has a sister whose boyfriend works for the Junon Star as a photographer. I think the guy's name is Luke, or Duke. Anyway, from what I heard Autumn over there stole some guy's story before he could publish it and then claimed all the credit. Not only that, but she once put laxatives into someone's coffee so she could steal an interview with President ShinRa."

Thomas looked at Pete skeptically. "How do you know if those stories are true?"

"Well, I don't. But I heard it from Larry's sister, so it's gotta be right. Just believe me when I say that the woman's scary. I'm trusting my gut on this one." Pete emphasized his point with a pat to his stomach.

"Well, if you're trusting your gut, then I'm going to trust mine and I think she's not the way you make her out to be. Sure she's very pushy, but I guess you gotta be when you're a journalist. She's just doing her job Pete. Don't worry."

"If you say so," Pete sighed as he replaced his helmet. "I just can't help thinking that she's bad luck."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of her. If anything happens, then I'll accept the blame," Thomas said.

"Famous last words," Pete muttered.

"Thanks, your optimism truly motivates me," Thomas said sarcastically. "Come on; let's get back to the mine to make sure that Cid and Barret haven't blown themselves up."

* * *

The sun was setting over the horizon casting shadows along the mountainside. On the mountain trails one could see lines of miners could be seen making the trek back home. Some miners rode their chocobos while others took a boat across the swamps. The miners had been working hard digging the tunnel deeper while putting support beams alongside the tunnel walls. With the combined efforts of the Kalm miners and the small group working inside of Old Midgar, they would probably break through to the other side in a day or two.

"Hey, we dun pretty good today," Barret wiped his brow as they watched the setting sun.

"Yep, nothing like mother nature to welcome you home after working your ass off in her hot dank hole," Cid crudely spat.

Shera flushed as she heard Cid's words and only deepened her blush as the object of her affections put his arm around her shoulders. She never would have thought in a million years that Cid Highwind would kiss her this morning, and kiss her the way he did. "Do you think we'll finish with the tunnel soon?"

"Sure! We'll probably get hit the other side sometime tomorrow and then spend our times widening up the tunnel 'til we can drive a tank through it," Cid said with a flash. "Don't you worry Shera. We'll get it done."

"So I guess that means I win my bet." Barret smiled slyly as he watched the couple out of the corner of his eye.

Cid glared at Barret while he mumbled something incoherent as Shera giggled at Cid's expense. In the distance, Cid could hear a few miners shouting out, "You'll owe me five gil Highwind!" off into the distance. Needless to say, Cid's mood was quite foul and holding onto Shera was the only thing keeping him from snapping at everyone. Unfortunately, that was the mood that loomed over Cid as he noticed Nanaki hopping down from the jagged rocks with two companions in tow.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Cid said hoarsely.

"Nice to see you as curt as ever Cid," Nanaki said as he leapt towards his friends. "I found something interesting while I was exploring the mountains."

Nanaki turned his head so everyone would focus on the two lion-like creatures slowly making their way down from the mountain trail. They were the same species as Nanaki and the group was left speechless as they watched the pair gracefully hop from rock to rock. Though the miners had gotten used to seeing Nanaki around, watching the two other creatures along the mountain caused them to pause in awe.

"We're almost there mother," Kaya said as she kept close. "I hope the journey wasn't too much."

"It is best to travel now rather than later," Sersa said between labored breaths. "I certainly want one last look at the world before I go."

"Kaya, Sersa. Let me introduce you to my friends. The large black man is Barret Wallace. The blonde man is Cid Highwind and his female companion is Shera Dorsley." Nanaki introduced the AVALANCHE members. "Cid, Barret, Shera. This is Sersa and her daughter Kaya. Kaya is my new mate."

"Well whaddya know! You ole' dog you. You went and found yourself a girl!" Barret said as he ran up and hugged Nanaki.

Shera followed suit as she hugged Nanaki and scratched him in his favorite spot behind the ears. Kaya watched curiously at the exchange between her mate and his human friends. Shera then turned her attention to Kaya and held her hand out in a friendly gesture.

"You must be Kaya. I'm sure you'll make Nanaki proud. Can I pet you?"

Kaya hesitated as she turned to her mother who was busy lapping water from a bowl that a miner had brought over to her. She then looked to Nanaki who nodded his head as Barret was working his magic over his mane.

"But, we're not pets," Kaya said in an embarrassed whisper.

"No, but it feels really good," Nanaki purred.

Kaya cautiously bowed her head for Shera and the woman gently obliged as she scratched the soft spot behind her ears. Kaya nuzzled up to the woman's petite hands as she purred in synch with the soothing sensations running through her body. It was bliss.

"Wow, who would have thought that this would feel so good," Kaya sighed.

Sersa was having the same thoughts as the miner who brought her the water bowl was gently rubbing her back. If she didn't trust Nanaki and wasn't so thirsty, she would have never let a human near her so much as touch her. But even she couldn't deny the euphoric feeling of being pampered.

"Oh Cid. Isn't it great to see Nanaki with more friends?" Shera gushed.

"Yeah, I thought Red said he was the last one. Have you started repopulating Cosmo Canyon yet?" Cid laughed as he pat Kaya's stomach.

Kaya responded with a low growl to the insensitive pilot as Cid slowly backed away from the angry female.

"Are all of your friends this crude?" Sersa asked, hearing the blunt comment.

"No, only Cid and Barret," Nanaki said as he gave a warning look to the pair.

"Hey, I heard that! I ain't crude," Barret mumbled.

"Sorry there. I ain't got much of a tongue for manners and pleasantries. Just ask Shera here, she'll tell ya." Cid smacked Shera in the ass, eliciting a high pitched yelp from the mousy woman.

"I see that you've been busy as well." Nanaki mused Cid's strange way of showing affection. "But I know of a way to make up to Kaya and Sersa for your insensitivity."

"Yeah, how's that?"

"We'd like to return to Cosmo Canyon," Sersa spoke. "I haven't returned to my birthplace since I left the Canyon before Kaya was born and my daughter has never seen where her ancestors lived."

"Sure, let me see what I can do," Cid said as he pulled out his PHS. "Johnson! Burns! What are you two slackers doing now? . . . Whadaya mean you're tired? . . . You've been flying the Highwind how long? And tell Johnson not to drool all over the control panel! . . . You didn't put a scratch on her or anything did ya? . . . Good, when can you two get back up in the air? . . . Tomorrow morning? Sure, sounds good. . . . Don't forget to fill 'er up before you leave. . . . No I'm not coming along! I still have work to do here. . . . Where? Cosmo Canyon. . . . Good. You two better be up and fresh to fly tomorrow morning." Cid gruffly hung up. "Looks like I can get you a one-way ticket to Cosmo Canyon early tomorrow morning."

"Thank you; your services are greatly appreciated." Sersa bowed her head low to the pilot.

"So I'll finally get to see Cosmo Canyon." Kaya excitedly spoke with Nanaki.

"Yes, you'll finally get to see Cosmo Canyon. I'll show you all the sights and introduce you to everyone. I'm sure that grandfather will instantly love you." Nanaki nuzzled Kaya tenderly. "And perhaps we'll be able to find some medicine that can help you Sersa."

"It's an optimistic thought, but we'll see," Sersa said softly.

"I don't know about you all, but I'm starving. Let's say we carry this here party over to Elmyra's place and chit-chat while my Auntie Donna cooks us up something good," Barret said as he rubbed his hands together.

"I think that would be best. Sersa and Kaya haven't eaten since their morning hunt," Nanaki said as he walked over to his chosen mate.

"As long as we're not on the menu," Cid joked.

"I don't think so. I fear that eating you would be hazardous to my health." Kaya brazenly retorted.

Everyone laughed as they began to make their way back towards Kalm. The sun was just starting to dip over the horizon as the silhouettes of men going home shrank and shrank until there was only a tiny spot in the distance; and then nothing.

* * *

Reno strolled into The Seaside Inn hoping that this hotel was the jackpot. He had been to more hotels, inns and hostels than he knew existed within one city block. He leaned against the counter and slammed his hand over the silver bell as he silently took in his surroundings. The lobby was full of guests loitering around with nothing to do. There was hardly anyone of interest, but enough people to make sure he had his guard up. When the concierge finally made his way to the front desk, Reno silently wondered when the man last saw a bed or even a shower. 

"Can I help you?" the weary man asked.

"Yeah, I'm here looking for my Aunt Maddy. She said I could come over, talk to ya and you'd get me a key to her room," Reno said in a deep voice. "She's expecting me."

"Do you know what room she's staying in?"

"No, but her last name's King."

"Hold on a minute sir," the concierge replied as he began searching through a ledger. After flipping a few pages, the tired man barely looked up from his desk as he opened a drawer and pulled out a key. "The room is down the hall on your left. Room 113."

"Thanks buddy," Reno grinned as he grabbed the keys.

Sauntering up the stairs, the Turk passed by a few drunk guests who were exiting from a room where loud music roared. It looked like these guests were still celebrating the fact that they were still alive. The hallways smelled like a mixture of vomit and sex: two things that Reno was very familiar with having experienced both extensively. He made his way to the room and quickly put his ear to the door to check if anyone was in the room. Utter silence greeted him.

Taking the key that the concierge had given him, Reno cautiously entered the room. He made sure to shut and lock the door silently before boisterously announcing his presence with his trusty magrod in hand.

"Lucy! I'm home!"

Reno held his breath as he waited for someone to respond to him, but nothing happened. Inching closer into the room, he kicked open the door to the bathroom to find no one in there. Walking further into the room he noticed that the room was bare except for the body of an aging woman on one of the twin beds. The woman's eyes were wide open and her arms lying outstretched as if she was staring at the ceiling waiting for it to collapse onto her. Her pale skin was marred by dark bruises around her neck as Reno peered in to study her face.

"Fucking-A!"

Reno scanned his eyes around the room and tried to see if there were any items that were important or clues to where the son was located, but he didn't find anything. There were no bags in the room, no important pieces of paper and no nothing. The only thing Reno knew was that Matilda King was dead and her son Nicholas King was missing.

* * *

The two-story home in Kalm was very similar to Elmyra's old home in Sector 5. The rooms were spacious and the décor was homey. Spending her time with Marlene also brought back memories of raising Aeris when she was younger. The house should have felt like her real home, but it didn't. It was probably the fact that the only flowers she had were the two small flower pots sitting outside the window. They paled in comparison to the grandiose garden she and Aeris had in Sector 5. But she didn't even know if her house in Sector 5 was still standing or if it was buried underneath all the rubble. All she knew is that she probably could never return. Kalm was her new home now and she'd have to find the time to plant more flowers. 

"Auntie Elmyra, whatcha thinking?" Marlene curiously looked at the older woman as she stood pensively at the window.

"I was just thinking that I should plant some more flowers. Do you think that's a good idea?"

Marlene nodded as her eyes lit up. "We could fill the whole house with flowers! Tifa always wanted to have her bar filled with flowers."

"Yes, we should do that," Elmyra smiled. "Then the place would really feel like home."

"Can we go and pick some flowers before Papa gets home?" The girl squealed as she bounced up and down with excitement.

"We will, but you've got to eat some lunch first. I'll make you a sandwich," Elmyra said as she walked over to the kitchen.

"Aw, but I'm not hungry," Marlene whined. She sat down at the kitchen table and waited for her sandwich with a small pout on her face.

"Don't you want to grow up to be a big girl just like Tifa?" Elmyra said knowingly, remembering how Aeris was the same as Marlene.

Marlene peered curiously at Elmyra with her wide brown eyes. "Did Tifa eat all her sandwiches?"

"Every last bite." The older woman winked as she put the sandwich down in front of the little girl.

There was no more argument as Marlene silently finished her sandwich while swinging her legs back and forth as she sat at the table. Elmyra couldn't help but see a part of Aeris still living in the innocent young girl. Their lives were similar in a way and they both had this spark of life to them that brightened up any room.

Elmyra smiled as she took Marlene out to the florist. The little girl pointed at all of the flowers on display and begged Elmyra to take them all home. Though the thought was tempting, the pair could only bring home as much as their arms could carry. They filled the room with sweet smelling flowers as the vibrant colors brightened the house. All the vases in storage were taken out and placed in various places throughout the house as the reds and blues crated a peaceful atmosphere. Even Marlene donned one of the many flowers they had bought as a pink lily graced her round face.

The soothing scent of flowers was what greeted the many guests to Elmyra's house as they returned from the Mythril Mines. It was a welcome sight for the group as well as for Kaya and Sersa who had been living in the wild for forty years. Their entrance was shortly followed by the boisterous Donna and her companion, Casey. Elmyra couldn't think of another time when she had seen so many warm and welcoming faces in her home. It made the house come alive and Elmyra looked upon the beautiful flowers lining her house finally feeling like she was home.

"Oh you poor little things living up in that mountain all by yourselves. Let me cook you up something nice. What do you two like to eat?" Donna smiled widely at Kaya and Sersa.

"Wild rabbit and boar," Kaya politely replied.

Donna stared blankly at the two females while Nanaki snickered nearby. "How about I fix you up some fried chicken?"

"That should be fine," Kaya responded, somewhat uncertain what fried chicken was.

"You both will like it. It's just like regular chicken, but cooked and crispy," Nanaki said as he comforted his mate.

"You certainly have surrounded yourself with some wonderful friends." Sersa watched the group with approval as she lounged on the plush, carpeted floor.

"There are a few who are missing. I wish I could show you what they all looked like," Nanaki sighed.

Just then a bright flash of light startled the three lion-like creatures. They turned to see Marlene hefting a camera around her neck as she beamed at them with a bright smile.

"I'm taking pictures so everyone will remember!"

"Pictures? What are those and what is that device?" Kaya asked.

Marlene fearlessly walked up to Kaya and showed her the camera. "Pictures are what you get when you use a camera. You just look into the little window and if you like what you see in the window, then you press this button. After you press the button too many times, then you have to take the camera to the shop and they give you the pictures that you took."

Kaya looked curiously into the small glass window that Marlene described. She saw the house and residents as she did before, but with a black border outlining the image. "Do your pictures look exactly like what you see through the window?"

"Yep. Let me go get some to show you," Marlene quickly ran off to her room.

"I forgotten how many things you haven't been exposed to living up in the mountains all these years," Sersa chuckled lightly. "You remind me of what you were like when you were a mere cub, always asking questions and wanting to learn new things."

"Mother! I can't help it if I've never seen these things before. I'm learning so much and seeing so many wonderful things. You know I enjoy learning."

"Wait until you see my Highwind. That'll knock yer socks off!" Cid added to the conversation before returning his attention back to the chess game he and Casey were playing.

Nanaki grinned at the pilot as he turned to his mate. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to explain everything to you."

Kaya smiled in appreciation as she rested her paw overtop of his.

"I found them!" Marlene's shouts echoed across the house. She ran over to the three and plopped herself down on the floor as she started to spread the photographs across the carpet. "These are pictures!"

Kaya gazed at the pictures one by one and was amazed at what she saw. Many different images were looking back at her like paintings that were captured in exact detail. She saw a picture of a desert like land with Barret kicking a large mechanical vehicle that had some sort of smoke coming out of it. There were pictures of three women all smiling at the camera with a large white animal with a cat on top of its head. Many more pictures littered the ground, but Kaya could only see the ones on top. "These are amazing!"

"I have more!" Marlene shuffled through the pictures picking up the ones that interested her. "This one here is of Yuffie, Tifa and Aeris. They're all my Aunties. I like to call Aeris the flower-lady because she sold flowers. Her flowers were always really pretty."

Kaya nodded as she studied the pictures. She remembered hearing their names from when Nanaki was telling her about AVALANCHE and their battle against Sephiroth, though somehow the name 'Tifa' seemed to strike more of a chord with her. "What's that white creature in the back?"

"Oh, that's Cait Sith. Cait Sith is Mr. Reeve's toy. But Mr. Reeve's shy and I don't have any pictures of him." Marlene put the picture away and picked up another one. "This picture here is of Papa, Cid, Nanaki, Vincent and Cloud. They're all my Un'cas and Mr. Reeve is too. But my Papa's my Papa, so he's not my Un'ca."

The picture showed the group of five standing close together with smiles on their faces. Kaya looked at the men one by one until her eyes landed on the last one on the end. His hair shot up like golden spikes ready to pierce through anything. His shining blue eyes held a bit of coldness and sadness that completely contradicted the smile on his face. It reminded her of a dark day when the smell of blood tainted the mountains. Then she realized; she knew that man. "I've seen him before."

"Who?" Marlene flipped the picture around so she could stare at it.

"The man on the end with the spiky hair."

"You mean Un'ca Cloud?"

Kaya nodded her head as the AVALANCHE members raised their heads up in curiosity.

"You've met Spike?" Barret asked confused.

"Not really met, just saw."

"When was this?" Nanaki asked.

Kaya looked at all the AVALANCHE members and then eyed Marlene warily. "It's not really a story that little Marlene should hear."

"Why not? It's a story about Un'ca Cloud, right?" Marlene asked innocently.

"Yes, but you're too young to hear it right now," Kaya gazed sympathetically at the girl.

Elmyra came to the rescue as she picked up the little girl and told her that she would tell her some other stories. Marlene struggled a bit as she whined, "but Elmyra! If they're going to tell the story about Un'ca Cloud and Auntie Tifa underneath the Highwind, I wanna hear it again."

Barret's face flushed a bit as he glared at Cid who only shrugged as he looked back at the large man with apathy.

"Wasn't me," Cid declared.

Nanaki shook his head at the pair as he turned to Kaya. "Could you tell us your story about Cloud?"

"Yes, of course. It happened a few months ago. I was out hunting in the mountains when I heard a commotion along the mountain trails. Curious, I peeked down towards the trail to see what was making all that noise. When I looked, I saw a man dressed exactly like Cloud with long black hair that was also very spiky. The man was carrying Cloud along the trail while wielding a large weapon. It looked quite heavy. He must have been a very strong warrior.

"I saw the man with black hair put Cloud down along the trail as a group of armed men ran down the trail towards them. The man with black hair fought them off. I could hear him yelling at Cloud, but Cloud looked like he was asleep since he didn't move. I think the man was distracted because the men used their weapons. Something shot out of them and hit the man. The next thing I saw was the man falling as blood was pouring out of some holes in his body. Then I saw the group of men shoot him some more with their weapons until the man didn't move anymore. All I could smell was his blood in the air as the men walked off leaving the dead man and Cloud on the mountain trail. It was heart wrenching.

"I didn't know what the man and Cloud had done, but no one deserved to be treated that way. I was tempted to kill those men, but their weapons were strange and powerful. I didn't know how to fight against them. So I sat and watched the fallen warrior. Then Cloud started to move. He crawled towards his fallen companion and realized what happened." Kaya closed her eyes briefly as she paused in her story.

"I've never heard any creature moan like that before in my life. It was filled with sorrow and grief. Cloud was in pain. I could only watch silently as he dug a hole with his bare hands and buried his friend. I could hear his cries and see his tears from where I stood. I almost approached him, but then he stood up and grabbed the large weapon the black-haired man had left. He spoke a few words and then left walking towards the large metal city."

The AVALANCHE members exchanged worried looks. Cloud hadn't mentioned much about his past to anyone besides Tifa. Though he did open up and talk about how his friend Zack was killed trying to save him from ShinRa.

"Do you remember what Cloud said?" Nanaki asked.

"It was only a few words, but I think I remember them," Kaya said as she concentrated. "All he said was, 'Mother, Nibelheim, Tifa, and now Zack.'"

A loud gasp was heard in the adjoining room as Elmyra walked into the room with her face white as a sheet. Marlene followed her, taking off the headphones that Elmyra had put over the child's ears.

"Did you say Zack?" Elmyra asked with wide eyes.

Kaya nodded her head.

Elmyra slumped against the wall and held her hand to her mouth. Marlene was gently tugging on the woman's dress asking questions like what was wrong and who Zack was.

"You okay Elmyra?" Barret asked concerned.

"I'll be okay. I just need a minute."

Barret nodded as he picked Marlene up and whispered soft soothing things in her ear. Donna had come out of the kitchen and shot a look at Casey before running to comfort Elmyra. Casey nodded his head as he went into the kitchen to make sure that dinner wasn't burning. The atmosphere was solemn as everyone sat quietly.

Shera finally broke the silence as she held Cid's hand for comfort. "Poor Cloud. All that time he thought Tifa was dead. I wonder if she ever knew."

"We should tell her. She has the right to know," Barret spoke up.

Cid sluggishly pulled out his PHS as he flipped the phone open. "I'll call her."

* * *

The stale air seeped into the small wooden house as two men in over-worn suits labored over papers, reports and a steaming pot of coffee. They were grateful that the Junon military had the sense to send large quantities of coffee in their shipment of supplies. If there was no coffee, then the citizens of Midgar would have started a riot days ago. Overstressed executives simply could not function without caffeine. But that wasn't the main issue that Chris and Eric were worried about. 

"So we both agree that we'll definitely need more reinforcements from Junon, correct?" Chris said as he twirled a pencil around his fingers.

"Correct."

"So why can't we agree on the other main issue? I think Kalm's the right place."

"Because there's no way we can get all of these people safely across the Midgar swamps and into Kalm," Eric sighed.

"Well, how are the miners getting to the Mythril Mines? They have to be using some sort of transportation."

"They have boats, chocobos and a few members of AVALANCHE helping them get across the swamp without getting eaten. They also use the mountain roads, which are far too treacherous for most people to travel. Remember, these are big burly miners who are trekking to and from Kalm, not tens of thousands of civilians, some of whom have little children."

"So you really think that we should build the new settlement near Fort Condor and not near Kalm?"

"It would be ideal if we could have the new settlement closer to Kalm, but logistically, it wouldn't work. It's safer to have them resettle near Fort Condor."

Chris tossed the pencil into the air and caught it with a frustrated sigh, "Yeah, you're right. It just seems like too much trouble to have to deploy troops out to Fort Condor and build a temporary settlement. You know that the people in Fort Condor don't like us."

"I know. But these are desperate times. Hopefully they'll put aside their differences and be willing to let us build. Besides, ShinRa isn't what it used to be back when the late President ShinRa was at the helm. I hate to think how he would have handled this situation," Eric shuddered.

"Well, depends on which ShinRa you're talking about. If it was Augustus ShinRa, he would have probably moved to Junon and let the people of Midgar fend for themselves. If it was Rufus ShinRa, well . . . I really don't know what he would do. Kinda weird knowing that all the times we worked with him, we were probably working with his body double."

"I know what you mean. People aren't always what they seem and you can never really tell what goes through their minds," Eric said as he gave Chris a thoughtful look.

The two executives continued to mull over how they were going to divvy up resources to start on the settlement near Fort Condor. They were short on staff and soldiers to help in the preparations of the settlement. A majority of the troops that were around were busy keeping the peace around the underground city and those that they could spare weren't enough.

The two executives were so busy ironing out plans for the settlement, they failed to notice the strange conversation that their current armed guards were having with another ShinRa guard who just entered. If they had been paying attention, then they would have noticed that the uniformed guard who just entered was a woman. Her facial features were hidden by the token helmet that all ShinRa soldiers wore but her physical features were quite visible. Taking a closer look, they also would have seen the two soldiers flirting with the one female soldier, lowering their defenses.

Before the two soldiers could react, the woman quickly pulled out a knife and slid it into the gut of one of the unsuspecting soldiers. The other soldier barely had time to raise his rifle and point it at the woman, but she was quicker and grabbed the muzzle turning so it pointed at his partner. A multitude of bullets spattered across the poor man's chest as the woman kicked the gunner in the stomach and slammed her palm into his nose, breaking the tender bone structure of his face. Assuming the man had survived that blow, he would have had to have reconstructive surgery to repair his face, but some bone fragments had pierced his brain so things like that would never be an issue for him ever again.

If the two executives hadn't been paying attention before, they were now. They could only watch in horror as the two guards fell to the ground dead. They could do nothing as the woman quickly picked-up one of the rifles and pointed it at the defenseless executives. Time seemed to stand still as the men waited for the inevitable.

Just before the woman pulled the trigger, the door behind her burst open and a single ShinRa guard kicked the rifle out of the woman's hands before she could fire. The two execs watched as the woman tried to plunge a knife into the man's chest, but he quickly deflected the blow with a gun he had in his right hand.

Twisting her wrist, she sliced the man's forearm, causing him to drop the gun. She dove in for the kill, but the man grabbed her wrist and pushed her arm to the side while head butting her while she still had some forward momentum. The impact cracked the helmets both were wearing. Fragments of glass and plastic sprinkled the bloody floor. The clang of the man and woman throwing off their helmets was overshadowed by the sounds of the two bitterly fighting to the death. Somehow during the scuffle, the man Eric briefly recognized as the Captain of the 5th infantry division, managed to wrestle the knife out of the woman's hands. The knife bounced on the ground once before skidding to a halt somewhere along the blood and debris.

The stampede of soldiers could be heard outside the door as the woman and the Captain continued their fight. The fiery-haired woman's eyes lit up slightly as she saw the gleam of gun metal behind the soldier. With a quick series of jabs and kicks, the woman forced the Captain back until the gun was almost within reach. After a powerful roundhouse kick knocked the Captain down, the woman dove for the gun with a smirk.

Chris and Eric tried to warn the Captain, but their mouths wouldn't move. The soldiers climbing the stairwell were still too far away. The executives were numb with fear. Everything was a blur as the woman grabbed the gun while the Captain picked himself off the ground. Then it happened. A shot was fired that echoed across all the walls of Old Midgar as a body fell into death's embrace.

* * *

A/N: First update for the New Year! 


	27. Bittersweet Memories

**Chapter 27: Bittersweet Memories**

"_Any clues so far as to how the assassin got in or her identity?"_ Reeve's voice echoed off the intercom.

"We learned that she stole the uniform off of a ShinRa guard whose body was found this morning. Doctor Graham is conducting an autopsy on her body, but so far we've found no forms of identification on her." Eric read the report as he sat exhausted in a chair.

"The bitch killed at least three of our men before Captain Lynn was able to kill her." Chris seethed as he kept the ice pack on his head, a wound he got after hitting his head on the conference room table when he fainted.

"_Have you both increased the number of guards standing watch?"_

"Yes. We're on high alert here and doing constant checks making sure each unit has all their men accounted for," Eric said.

"The citizens have also started a neighborhood watch around the area trying to curb any reckless violence or suspicious persons walking around the city. There hasn't been much panic spreading around since we've been able to gradually report information to the public about the situation," Chris added.

"_And how's Captain Lynn? Have the doctors been successful in their operation?"_

"Last we heard the Doctor had finished taking the bullet out an hour ago. He hasn't woken-up yet to our knowledge, but we're going to check up on him soon." Eric paused as he stared at Chris who nodded back at him in return. "He really saved us back there Reeve. If it weren't for him, I think both of us would be dead right now."

"_I know. Be sure to give him my thanks when he wakes up. After things have finally settled down, we have to remember to give him one of those Purple Heart medals."_

"We'll do that. Is there anything else pressing we need to address? Chris? Anything from you?"

"Nope, nothing new on the dig. Thomas knows more about the progress of that than I do. Supplies are stable here and we have more and more citizens who are voluntarily leaving the underground city."

"_That's good to hear. Things are still a little chaotic in Junon, but there's nothing new to report. I'll give you a buzz if anything comes up. In the meantime, stick to the usual schedule for meetings."_

"Understood." Eric acknowledged before ending the telephone conference. He looked over at Chris who was still nursing the bump on his head. "How's your head?"

"Doesn't hurt as much as my pride." Chris removed the ice-pack and softly touched the tender wound. "I'm never going to live that one down, am I?"

"Not from me you won't. I think I was the only one that saw you faint. The ShinRa soldiers were too busy trying to keep Captain Lynn alive and making sure that the assassin was dead." Eric chuckled. "Though when your head hit the table, it made a really loud sound. So how is it that you could stand to see men shot up, cut up, their noses punched in and all that other stuff, but you couldn't stand to see a knife sticking out of a woman's chest?"

"I was overwhelmed by the entire situation. That was just the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. Besides, you were just standing there doing nothing." Chris plopped the ice-pack back on the table.

"I think I was amazed that Captain Lynn somehow found a way to kill the assassin before she killed us. Speaking of which, should we check to see if he's awake now?"

* * *

He felt like he was floating. He couldn't see anything and was quietly wondering if his eyes were even open. The bleak void of darkness disoriented him as the only sounds he could hear were shrill noises that came from everywhere around him like a thick blanket of confusion. Through the murkiness, he could hear something soft and soothing calling out to him. The feather-like touch of someone caressing his face sent pleasing shivers down his spine. Grasping for something, anything, he fought to keep those pleasant sensations as he felt his body gradually grow heavier and heavier. A blinding light flooded his senses as the shrill sounds became clearer thumping and thumping to a steady rhythmic beat. The outline of a woman's angelic face hovered over him as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light.

"Am I dead?"

"No, you're still alive, thank goodness. You really had me scared there." The nameless voice fussed as her words echoed clearly in his ears. He knew the source of that sweet, honeyed voice anywhere.

"Tina? Where am I?"

"In the hospital. You were shot."

"Oh," Mike mused as he felt a tinge of pain in his side. He remembered the woman he was fighting with and silently cursed. "Did I get her?"

"Yeah, you got her. If a knife through the heart doesn't kill someone, I don't know what will. You also saved Mr. Johnson and Mr. Rivers in the process," Tina laughed. "They're calling you a hero now."

"And that's a bad thing?" Mike tried to laugh, but stopped after feeling the sting of his wound.

"Just relax. You were lucky she didn't hit you in anyplace vital. Do you have any idea how many organs are in your stomach?" Tina playfully chided. "But seriously, how do you feel?"

Mike grunted as he moved his body and felt the sharp pain in his stomach. "Could be better." Mike relaxed on the bed as he took in the sight of his fiancée. The thin white material of her nurse's outfit hugged her curves graciously. Silently he wondered what color panties she was wearing, if she was wearing any at all. His mind recessed to its deepest primal urges as he stared at Tina's assets. "But I know something that will make me feel good and probably help the healing process too."

"Oh, and what's that?" Tina asked innocently, not missing the lecherous grin on Mike's face as he let his eyes roam all over her body. He always liked seeing her in her nurse's uniform and she knew it.

"Nothing much. Just a little . . . healing." Mike said suggestively as he made some gestures.

"You're in no condition for anything like that. You can't even sit up straight!"

Mike faked a pained expression as he struggled to win Tina's affections. "I take a bullet for the greater good, kill an assassin for you and this is how you treat me after I awaken? I thought the fair maiden was supposed to shower her hero with kisses and throw herself at him or something like that?"

"Well unfortunately, the hero is far too injured for this fair maiden to literally throw herself on top of him like he wishes. However, there is something that the fair maiden can do to ease her hero's pain." Tina smiled and gave Mike a feral grin, which promptly wiped away the pout on his face.

Outside hospital room 210, two executives were busy talking to the hospital staff wondering why they couldn't visit the injured Captain.

"We won't bother the nurse, we'll just check to see if the Captain is awake and then leave," Chris tried explaining.

"Well, er, Miss Carter doesn't like to be disturbed whenever she's checking up on a patient." The young nurse kept on glancing back and forth between the two men and a heart monitor for room 210, which was steadily beeping at a more rapid pace. "I'm sure when Captain Lynn wakes up; one of the nurses or doctors will inform you."

"So I assume that he's doing well after surgery?" Eric asked.

"Oh yes sir Mr. Rivers. He got out of surgery probably an hour ago and there were no complications." The nurse replied, trying her best to keep the men distracted from the fast beeping of the heart monitor next to her.

"That's good. How long do you expect him to remain sedated?"

"Well . . . the sedatives usually last about an hour, but it all depends on the patient. Some patients are out for a few hours while others recover a lot quicker and are wide awake in no time." The beeping of the heart monitor quickened at an almost alarming rate before peaking for a moment and then decrease in speed. The nurse heard the change in the heart monitor, but gave no indication to the two men that she noticed. "I'm sure if you wait a few minutes for the nurse to finish up with her patient, you can see him then."

"I can wait around if you can," Chris shrugged.

"Thank you Miss. We'll wait right over here," Eric smiled.

The young nurse fanned herself after the two men left to sit in the waiting room. The beeping of the heart monitor was gradually lowering to a normal pace as the nurse smirked. Tina owed her big time for helping her pull a stunt like that. The door to room 210 opened as Tina walked out with a triumphant grin on her face. She sauntered over to the nurse's station and scribbled a few notes down on her clipboard as the other nurse cleared her throat.

"So, get laid?"

"That's for me to know and you to never find out." Tina said, hardly able to contain the smile on her face.

"You got laid." The nurse elbowed Tina in the side playfully. "Oh, by the way. While you were getting your kicks, Mr. Rivers and Mr. Johnson came by and wanted to see your special patient. They're sitting in the waiting room and I told them that you'd kindly let them know when your patient woke-up. So is he awake or do we need to tell them that he was given more . . . anesthetics."

"I'm not that good! But he's awake. He may not be entirely coherent for a few minutes, but he's awake."

"Good, now go and escort Mr. Rivers and Mr. Johnson to see Captain Lynn and try not to seduce the poor patient in front of his guests," the nurse joked.

Tina stuck her tongue out before laughing and taking her time walking over to the waiting room with a certain glow to her skin.

* * *

The sharp smell of coffee calmed Reeve down as he hung up the phone. He nearly had a nervous breakdown when he heard that there was an attack in Old Midgar. He was already being stretched thin and losing some of his aides was not something he needed. Rubbing his temples, he stared down at the hot cup of coffee and let the aroma soothe his senses. A soft knock at the door interrupted his brief moment of silence. Expecting a sharply dressed businessman or military official, Reeve nearly chocked on his coffee when he saw his wife walk into the room wearing only a pair of jeans and a loose sweatshirt.

"How are things here?" Melissa smiled as she handed him a napkin.

"They're stable, for now at least." Reeve blushed as he wiped away all the coffee from his suit. "How's Sara?"

"She's playing with Elena and Rude. I think they're teaching her the basics of how to be a Turk." Melissa laughed. "Is there anything I can do to help around here?"

"I don't think so. A lot of it is very complicated that even I don't understand it all. Mainly military and banking stuff."

"I feel guilty though watching you work your butt off while I take care of Sara."

"Sara's important though, right? So don't worry about it," Reeve said with a warm smile.

"She is." Melissa's face lit up thinking about their daughter, but that joy had to be short lived. She took a deep breath as she remembered why she same to see her husband. "I want to ask you something. Do you know if we can open up an orphanage here in Junon? I want to help somehow. There are so many children out wandering the streets and the ShinRa daycare is practically overflowing with children. I feel like the Junon streets aren't safe anymore. It's this feeling I have. Like something bad will happen to them if they don't have anyplace to go."

Reeve studied his wife as he gazed up on her tense shoulders. He had seen this in her before. "Is this the same feeling that made you want to take Sara out of Midgar?"

"Yes," Melissa said guiltily. "But you know it wasn't without a good reason. And the same goes for wanting to start an orphanage."

The room was tense as Melissa nervously stood before her husband as he watched her with a contemplative look. She hoped that he understood her reasons for leaving Midgar back then and hoped he understood her reasons now. She could never tell if Reeve was ever bitter for taking Sara from him, partly because she hated herself for doing it. But she knew that staying in Midgar put Sara at risk and Melissa would sacrifice everything to keep her daughter safe and happy.

"I'll talk with the heads around here and see if I can secure a building to suit your needs," Reeve finally said.

"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me." Melissa nearly cried with elation. "I don't want to see the same thing happen to Junon as it did to Midgar five years ago."

"You mean what happened to all those children?"

Melissa stood quietly as she spoke in a whisper. "Yes."

"I understand. Just please be careful. I'll make sure that you have Soldiers guarding you and the children. I promise that there won't be a repeat of the events five years ago."

"I appreciate it." Melissa smiled as she shyly looked at her husband. "You know that I took Sara with me because I wanted to keep her safe. I wasn't really trying to distance myself from you, but with all the things happening in Midgar and our fights I just had to leave. But I mainly left because of what was happening. I don't know if you knew that, but I thought you ought to know."

Reeve tried his best to control his emotions as he walked over to Melissa and brought her into a tearful hug. "I know. I know. I'm glad you did it Mel. It hurt that you had to leave with her, but it would have killed me if anything happened to Sara. Promise me that you'll be careful out there."

"Oh Reeve. I promise. I'll be safe and I'll keep Sara safe. I swear to you I will," Melissa sobbed into her husband's shoulder.

The couple quietly held each other while whispering consoling words as they stood oblivious to the rest of the world. Their relationship was still quite fragile, but they had come to an understanding that was bringing them closer than they had ever been. Both learned how to fully love each other again and forget the painful past that they may have had. They knew that it was time to look towards the future: together.

* * *

The air at Fort Condor was tense. The residents could feel it, the elders caused it and the children were all quiet, fearing that any wrong they committed would be returned to them in a punishment far worse than anything they could ever conjure. The only ones who couldn't seem to feel the tension were the rag-tag gang of bikers who were either lounging around drinking or sleeping in their own alcohol-induced dreams.

The self-imposed leader of the gang knew that they weren't wanted based on the stares he and his gang got, but he didn't care. He reasoned that when they came, he and his gang were welcomed with open arms because the place was in desperate need of protection. Now after less than a week, it looked like they had worn out their welcome.

"So Boss, what are we supposed to do around here? There ain't nothing fun to do and the beer here stinks," Shorty asked. "Are we gonna jet sometime?"

Jagger shrugged as he took another swig of beer. "Probably soon. There ain't any pretty girls here and you're right; the beer stinks."

The bartender at the small pub chose to wisely ignore their rude comments. He didn't want to raise any suspicions that he was serving the Red Riders all the beer that had spoiled last month. The bartender hoped that the gang would leave soon or he would have to start bottling the toilet water and serve that to them.

The gang members were far too lost in their own reveries and mindless stupor that they didn't even notice when the residents of Fort Condor all flooded to the front door in a mixture of excitement and panic. Something was happening outside that captured the attention of all the Condor residents. The only thing that alerted the gang members that something big was going on outside the fort was the long bellowing sound of a horn.

A few gang members fell out of the chairs they were dozing in while others covered their ears, spitting out curses to whoever was making that noise. Jagger rolled his eyes in annoyance as he took his time to stand and walk outside to see what the noise was about. After all, they were freeloading off of Fort Condor because of the pretense that they would help defend the fort. If anything, he had to at least keep up appearances.

Once Jagger finally made his way outside, he saw the fort elders talking animatedly to several soldiers dressed as traditional Wutanese warriors. The soldiers all had swords strapped to their sides and addressed the elders very respectfully as they talked. In the background, Jagger could see hundreds of Wutanese soldiers all standing and waiting orders. It looked like they were getting ready to fight a war.

Before Jagger had any time to process what was going on, one of the more ornately dressed soldiers started walking towards him as the fort elders were staring on in morbid fascination. As the soldier walked closer to Jagger, he noticed that this particular soldier was an older woman who had small streaks of gray running through her hair.

"Are you the leader?" Chekhov asked the mess of a man before her.

Jagger stared confused at the woman as he scratched his head. "Huh?"

"I asked, are you the leader?"

"I guess."

"Was your group assigned to protect this fort?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Jagger stood a bit taller, towering over the smaller woman after hearing the threatening tone of her voice.

"Did you know that my warriors could have taken this fort over ten times by now?"

"You saying that you think you can beat me and the Red Riders?"

"I know I can beat you and your . . . gang." Chekhov smiled confidently as she watched Jagger's face scrunch up in rage.

"Lady, I'm going to make you wish you was never born," Jagger seethed.

For the next few minutes Jagger was dealt the beating of his life. Not only was he being physically beaten by a smaller and weaker opponent, but this opponent was an old woman. There were few times when Jagger had ever acknowledged being beaten and all of those times were by men bigger and stronger than he was. Today Jagger was having his pride kicked and punched out of him by the petite woman staring him down. At this point in time, Jagger wanted nothing more than to be able to get in one solid punch to the woman's condescending face. But his hands were pinned securely behind his back by some little kid who was dressed just as ornately as the woman.

"Listen and listen well." Chekhov stared intently at the broken man in front of her while Shake secured him. "The elders of this fort have requested that we stay and help protect them from any monsters that may attack. Their first thing that they wanted us to do was to get rid of you and your gang, who were currently trying to . . . _protect them_. My men have already raided the fort and kicked every single one of your men out and we expect you to leave immediately."

"And what if I don't?" Jagger breathed laboriously, trying his best to defy anything the woman said.

Chekhov lowered her face until she was eye to eye with Jagger as she spoke in a dangerous voice. "Then we'll torch your bikes."

That was enough to convince Jagger that the woman meant business. A biker gang was nothing without their bikes. Their bikes were like their lifeblood and getting rid of that would make the Red Riders nothing but a bunch of useless thugs on the streets. So Jagger relented and watched through his bruised and bloody eyes how the rest of his gang staggered with equal amounts of bruises towards him.

"Jagger! What's going on! These ninjas came in and beat the shit out of us," Shorty stumbled towards their fallen leader.

"We're leaving." Jagger offered no explanations as he limped over to his bike and started the engines.

The Red Riders hesitated slightly before following Jagger's lead and getting on their own bikes. The gang ignored the blatant looks of satisfaction from the residents as they watched the group leave. They were getting bored anyway and told themselves that the ninjas wouldn't have beaten them up so easily if they hadn't been suffering from hangovers. The riders thought to themselves that it was a good thing that they were leaving and the residents of Fort Condor couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

Rufus felt like he was a little kid again. The brightly colored lights and animated characters were bringing back memories of his childhood. Gold Saucer: the magical place that every child wants to go to and every adult secretly dreams of. The flashing neon lights were hypnotizing as he followed his friends along the path.

"Oh! Let's go to the Speed Square! I haven't ridden that in a while." Yuffie asked as she tried to drag Tifa towards one of the round tubes.

"I don't think that's a good idea right now Yuffie. We need to start looking for Dio," Tifa sighed.

"You're looking for my Dad? He's either at the Battle Arena or Chocobo Square . He has offices in both places."

Tifa, Yuffie and Rufus all turned their heads in amazement and disbelief staring at the person who just spoke. They probably would have turned their heads either way mainly because the teenager said something that didn't relate to surfing, his board-blade or anything that made a stalk of broccoli look intelligent.

"Did you just say your Dad?" Rufus asked.

"Yeah." Ace shrugged, wondering why his friends were so surprised with the revelation, despite never telling anyone about his father during their entire trip to Gold Saucer.

"Oh, that's so cool! I didn't know that!" Yuffie turned her energy towards Ace as she latched onto his arm possessively.

"Well, that'll make things easier in trying to get an audience with him," Tifa mused.

The group made their way towards the Battle Arena first while Yuffie clung onto Ace as if he was a lifeline. While there, Tifa answered a call from her PHS as Ace and Yuffie watched the monitors to see who was fighting. Rufus split his time between watching the battle on the monitor and watching Tifa as she talked on the PHS. From the brief glimpses of the battle and the sounds Yuffie and Ace were making, he could tell that the man inside the battle arena was losing badly. Observing Tifa, Rufus almost thought that she was watching the battle as well as her facial expressions were laced with worry and concern.

Rufus watched Tifa as she wiped stray tears from the corner of her eyes. He would have continued watching her if it weren't for the heavy hissing of the main doors to the battle arena opening up to reveal the battered and bruised warrior exiting. The jeers from his friends and onlookers distracted Rufus as he turned and watched the poor man collapse in a heap in front of his disappointed buddies. During the brief moment, Tifa had already finished her phone call and made her way to the group.

"So who called?" Yuffie asked absently as she paid more attention to the next battle starting up on the monitors.

"Cid." Tifa answered with a slight waver in her voice. She did her best to hide her distress over the phone call, but Rufus could still see the sadness in her eyes. Whatever the call had been about, it had depressed her.

"So what did Cid have to say?" Rufus asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Did you know that Nanaki found a mate!" Tifa said cheerfully, instantly changing her mood. "Her name's Kaya."

"Oh really!" Yuffie beamed. "What's she like? Where did he meet her? Is she pretty?"

"I don't know. Cid just said that she's good for him and that they're happy." Tifa laughed at Yuffie's enthusiasm. "But I'm sure we'll meet her soon and then you can see for yourself."

"I bet she's really pretty. Red wouldn't go for a girl unless she was pretty."

Tifa smiled as she listened to Yuffie rant about the many different qualities Kaya had to possess. "So have we found Dio yet?"

Everyone looked at Ace who stared back at them with a blank expression on his face.

"What?"

"So is your Dad here?" Rufus asked the clueless teen.

"Oh, let me check." Ace said as he looked around the room. "Nope."

"You're not going to check his office?"

"Don't need to. He never uses it. If he's here, he'll be watching the matches."

"Right," Rufus answered skeptically. "I guess there's no point in staying here then."

The group made their way towards the Chocobo Square as they drank in the sights of the amusement park. Ace and Yuffie were stopping at all the new games and attractions that were added to the park while Rufus watched in amazement. Tifa barely registered the new attractions that the park had added as her thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Her attention was centered on the conversation she just had with Cid. Kaya had seen Cloud. Not only that, but Kaya had heard him mourning the loss of his friend, his mother and herself. Memories of the surprise and excitement on Cloud's face when she found him at the train station in Midgar made complete sense now. It explained why he was so protective of her and always watched her work in the bar in Sector 7: he couldn't believe she was alive. If only she had known, then she could have done things differently. There were too many 'what ifs' running through her head wondering what could have happened.

Tifa knew that she shouldn't dwell on her past life with Cloud, but he meant so much to her. Thoughts like that were only going to make her yearn for the sweet memories they shared and remind her of the ache in her heart his death brought her. She wished that Cloud were still alive today to help protect her during the crisis after Meteor. But she knew that wishes like that never came true. Her mother never came back to her and neither did her father. Tifa was alone now with just her thoughts and memories of her loved ones keeping some semblance of hope in her heart.

"Oh look! A food cart! I'm starving. Ace, will you treat me to some dumplings?" Yuffie begged her boyfriend.

"Sure babe, anything you want." Ace smirked as he draped his arm loosely around her shoulders.

Tifa watched as the young couple fed each other dumplings from the familiar looking food cart. The savory smell of the fresh dumplings made her mouth water and she closed her eyes as she thought of the first time she had those delicious dumplings.

* * *

She had done it again. She and Sabina had crossed the finish line before everyone else, winning first place. She wondered if Cloud was cheering her on in the lobby as she quickly led Sabina to the stables. She was in such a rush to meet Cloud she hardly noticed the possessive glare that the famous jockey Joe was giving her as she rushed past him. All of her focus was on getting to Cloud and telling him that she won her race.

Tifa ran through the crowd and spotted a head of spiky blond hair.

She ran over to him shouting his name in excitement. "Cloud! I won!"

Cloud was standing rooted to the floor with a sour look of anger. He hadn't noticed Tifa shouting his name at the top of her lungs, but saw her as she was making her way towards him. His anger instantly turned into relief and joy as he smiled as his childhood friend. "Hey Tifa, I saw you take the lead on the monitor."

"I know." Tifa smiled, but then remembered the angry look on his face just before she walked up to him. "Are you still mad at yourself for losing that last race?"

Cloud was taken-aback that Tifa had noticed his foul mood earlier. He blushed as he slowly nodded his head.

"Don't worry, you were racing against Joe. If he wasn't in the race, you would have definitely won." Tifa said to try and boost his ego. She didn't notice him tense up at the mention of his rival.

"Come on Tifa let's go celebrate your victory." Cloud said as he grabbed Tifa's hand and led her to one of the food carts nearby.

They stopped at a small red cart selling various dumplings. Cloud bought a few dumplings and offered some to Tifa who took them graciously. They ate silently as they stole glances at each other through bites of the juicy treats.

"These are so good. I wonder if they're any better if you get them fresh in Wutai?" Tifa mused.

"Yuffie would probably know." Cloud smiled as he watched Tifa eat. "But I promise you that if we ever go to Wutai, I'll buy you some."

Tifa blushed as she boldly stared into Cloud's sapphire eyes. "Cloud, do you really mean it? I mean, I'd love for you to and all, but it almost sounds like you're asking me on a date."

"Yes, I do mean it." Cloud's face softened before he blushed and scratched the back of his head. "And if you want it to be a date . . . well, we can make it one."

Tifa felt like leaping into Cloud's arms and screaming 'yes' at the top of her lungs. But instead she breathed in deeply as a content sigh escaped her lips and she whispered. "I'd like that."

A week later, Tifa would get her wish and have her date with Cloud in Wutai. She didn't think that he would remember it at first, especially since they were worried about the eventual fight with Sephiroth. But Tifa was pleasantly shocked when Cloud had shyly come up to her room before they were set to turn in for the evening.

"Um, Tifa?" Cloud asked trying to maintain eye contact.

"Yes, Cloud?"

"I was wondering if . . . you were hungry and . . ." Cloud began to stutter as he nearly lost his resolve. Acting quickly, he grabbed Tifa's hand. "Here, just come with me."

She didn't object as she let Cloud take her to one of the night markets in Wutai. The small alleyway was crowded with street vendors and late-night shoppers trying to get a nice bargain. Food carts were scattered everywhere about the market as Cloud and Tifa stared with wide eyes at the different exotic foods that Wutai had to offer. There were fried octopus balls, roasted squid, fermented tofu and the main thing they were looking for: dumplings.

Cloud's face lit up when he found the dumpling cart. He paid for the mouth-watering food and handed Tifa her portion as they savored the taste. They were on their date and they both knew it. Tifa couldn't have dreamed of a better evening as the clear night sky was lit up with thousands of twinkling stars. They ate and basked in each other's company as they discovered that the dumplings in Wutai were juicier and sweeter than the ones they got at Gold Saucer. They continued walking away from the night market and closer towards the quieter parts of the city.

As they walked, the couple eventually found themselves on top of a small bridge overlooking the crystalline waters of the river. There was hardly a soul in sight as fireflies danced around them like spots of sunshine peeking out into the night. The pair talked about everything and nothing as they enjoyed each other's company. Their relationship was so simple yet so complex that neither had the knowledge of how to progress it further without shattering it into a thousand tiny pieces. But they both knew that they loved each other and they both could tell that the love was shared; even if no one had openly said it. They locked gazes and unconsciously were inching closer and closer to one another as if their bodies were responding to their inner desires.

Tifa didn't know when Cloud had snuck his hand around her back or when she decided to put her hands around his neck. Those small details didn't bother her because just being in his arms and watching the tender look on his face meant the whole world to her. She was so enraptured with the almost glowing quality of his eyes, she could hardly think when Cloud started to inch his face closer to hers. They both closed their eyes as their lips moved closer towards each other instinctively, yearning for the softness of a kiss.

Just before their lips touched, the cracking sound of a tree branch breaking followed simultaneously by a high pitched scream and splash of a body hitting the water interrupted the couple. Cloud quickly pulled Tifa behind him as he protected her with his sword, ready and drawn. They both were shocked to see a cold and wet ninja by the name of Yuffie Kisaragi smiling weakly at them in the water.

"Yuffie!"

"Hey guys! Fancy seeing you two here. Don't mind me. Just get back to your kissing or whatever it was that you were doing." Yuffie laughed nervously as she cursed under her breath for forgetting about how old that tree was getting.

Cloud smiled apologetically to Tifa before breaking out into laughter at Yuffie's expense. Tifa laughed along with Cloud, letting the humor of the situation dispel her anger at the teenage girl for interrupting them.

"Tifa."

The martial artist turned to face Cloud who smiled as he said her name.

"Tifa."

The sound of Cloud's voice calling her name echoed over and over again until it started to become muffled. The noises of Yuffie splashing in the water faded into a jumbled garble. The lights of the fireflies seemed to get bigger and brighter as the light filled the night sky. Tifa's eyes began to lose focus as Cloud's face blurred. The only thing that she could focus on was the clear blue of his eyes.

"Tifa."

"Tifa."

* * *

"Tifa."

Tifa's vision cleared up as she looked into the blue eyes of the man she knew as John Woolfe. "Oh, John! Sorry about that. What was it you were trying to say?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to give you some dumplings I bought for you." Rufus handed Tifa her portion as he shot her a concerned look.

"Oh, thanks." Tifa looked flustered as she accepted the food. All the memories of her date with Cloud were still fresh in her mind as she slowly ate the dumplings. She was reminded of how the dumplings in Wutai were much juicier. Though the dumplings were good, Tifa couldn't bring herself to savor the taste that reminded her of why her heart ached.

Rufus was worried about Tifa as he watched her mechanically walk alongside him.

Since she received that phone call from Cid, Tifa looked lost in the sea of tourists and neon lights. Concern was too light a word to describe the protective feelings Rufus harbored for the woman.

"Hey Yuffie. Is it just me or does Tifa seem a little out of it to you?" Rufus whispered.

"Oh don't worry. She's probably getting distracted by all the flashing lights. Oh Hey! A new race is starting! Sweet!" Yuffie squealed as she bounded off towards the racing monitors leaving Rufus and Ace behind.

"Some help that was." Rufus sighed as he turned to Ace. "So Ace. Does Tifa seem a little out of it to you?"

"How the hell should I know? She's your girl." Ace shrugged as he walked over to Yuffie.

Rufus stared at Ace with a pink hue to his cheeks. He had almost forgotten that he and Tifa were posing as a couple for Yuffie's sake. "Yeah, sure. I'll just go and talk to her."

He found Tifa staring absent-mindedly at one of the monitors. Acting casual, he walked up to her and pretended to also watch the race. "So who's winning?"

"Huh?" Tifa was startled. "Oh, I think the chocobo 'Weltall' is winning. The jockey's new. His name's Fei, but he's not bad for a beginner."

"Racing looks pretty easy. It's probably hard once you're on the track though, right?"

"It is a lot tougher. You have to have a chocobo that had lots of speed, stamina, focus and a jockey who can push the chocobo to maintain that focus. The track is very brightly colored and some chocobos lose because they get distracted by the track."

"So if Yuffie were a chocobo, she would lose all the time because she would be focusing on the track rather than the race," Rufus smiled.

Tifa laughed at his joke as she pictured the young ninja all covered with feathers pecking at the holographic flowers on the side of the track. "Yes, that's too true. Yuffie would make a horrible racing chocobo. That's probably why she can never get Maru to win her races because she's also a horrible jockey."

"I'm glad I could make you smile again. You were looking a little down." Rufus stared at her with a gentle look in his eyes.

"Thanks, I needed that." Tifa's face brightened up.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Rufus said before nervously putting his hands in his pockets. "So. Want to talk about it?"

Tifa shook her head as she looked down at the floor. "Maybe some other time. I think I'll be okay now. Thanks for asking."

Rufus smiled to himself as he saw some of the cheer return to Tifa's face. He was about to make another joke to get her laughing again when a man dressed entirely in black with a black hat walked between them and reached for Tifa's hand to kiss it.

"Why Miss Lockheart! You're looking as ravishing as ever. It's a pleasure seeing you here at Gold Saucer again. Will you be racing?" The man asked with a suave smile.

"Oh, Joe. It's nice to see you too. No, we're here to speak to Dio on business. I don't think I'll have time to race." Tifa greeted the jockey with noticeable discomfort.

"Oh, that's a shame. I would have loved to see you and Sabina in action. How about Strife, is he here?" Joe asked, not noticing the visible streak of pain across Tifa's face.

"No, I'm sorry. He's not with us anymore."

"Ah, that's too bad. I guess that means he automatically forfeits the match." Joe laughed as he put a hand on Tifa's bare shoulder.

"Match? What match?" Tifa turned so Joe's hand fell off of her shoulder.

"You didn't hear? Why the match that Strife agreed to have with me so I could win the right for Teioh to mate with Sabina."

Tifa stared at Joe with a blank expression on her face as she processed what he had just said. "What."

"Why, Strife and I made an agreement that Mortius and Teioh would race for the right to Sabina. Since Strife isn't here, I guess I win the right."

"You are not going to get Sabina." Tifa said firmly, causing a few people to stare at the ensuing argument; two of whom were Yuffie and Ace.

"You can't refuse him Tifa. He has the right." A woman in a blue dress said as she walked towards the group. "He issued a formal challenge to Cloud for the right to mate with Sabina and Cloud accepted."

"Ester, you can't be serious. I'm Sabina's rider. Don't I get a say in who Sabina mates with?"

"Usually you do. But when a formal challenge has been issued, you have to accept the winner of the challenge to the right to your chocobo."

"Cloud couldn't have accepted something so stupid. When did this happen?"

"Last time you were here, my dear. If you don't believe me, Ester has the agreement saved on one of the security tapes. Ester? Would you please?" Joe looked at Ester expectantly.

Ester nodded as she motioned for everyone to follow her. "Come with me and I'll show you the tape."

Tifa seethed as she followed Ester and Joe to a monitor behind the betting arena. Joe swaggered toward a comfortable position as close to Tifa as he could get while Rufus glared angrily at him. Yuffie and Ace watched the scene curiously as they had tagged along to see what the argument was about.

Ester found a disc in a drawer and insert it into the monitor as she motioned for everyone to watch.

* * *

The screen was littered with static as it gradually cleared up and everyone could see the betting arena. There were people lining up to place their bets in the next race while others bustled around trying to decide whether to gamble their money or not. In the center of the screen was Cloud walking up to one of the monitors as he hung his head dejectedly.

"I lost."

The blonde shook off his loss and turned his attention to the monitors as he watched the next race. Shortly afterwards, everyone could see Joe strutting up to Cloud as he extended his hand out to him in a greeting.

"Strife, excellent race as usual. You were closer to beating me that time."

"Closer, but not close enough to win the gold. It's always a pleasure racing you Joe."

Joe nodded politely as he turned his attention to the racing monitor. "She's a beautiful creature now isn't she? Such strong legs and a bountiful stamina."

"Yes, Tifa really knows how to train chocobos. Sabina's one of the strongest gold chocobos out there," Cloud beamed as he watched Tifa widen her lead in her race.

"Yes, Sabina is a beautiful chocobo. Her rider certainly is a wonderful catch as well I might say."

Cloud looked livid as he grabbed his sword, getting ready to draw it as he glared at Joe. "Don't you ever talk about Tifa like that again or it'll be the last thing you do!"

"My, a bit touchy about that, aren't we? So Tifa is yours then?"

"Tifa is nobody's. She her own person and you should respect that."

"So you say. But you know? If she were a chocobo, I could easily race for her and have her," Joe threatened. "It's one of the perks to having a champion chocobo; first pick for potential female mates. I'm sure you read the rules on that when you became a jockey."

Cloud tightened his grip on the sword as his eyes flashed dangerously.

"But I can just settle for the chocobo. Since no one can beat me, it's only my right to choose Teioh's mate. Sabina is the fastest female chocobo on the circuit so it's only logical that she be the lucky one. Imagine, all that time with Sabina and her rider . . . alone . . . watching our chocobos mate. Certainly sets the mood, doesn't it?"

Cloud whipped out his sword and pointed the tip at Joe's throat as his eyes glowed with anger. "You are not getting near Tifa or Sabina."

"Killing me will only make you a murderer Strife," Joe laughed. "The only way you can stop me is if you beat me in a race and become the new champion, which I doubt you can do." Joe pushed the sword to the side with his right hand.

"I'll win. Me and Mortius won't lose to you."

"So you agree to the race then? Good. Let's shake on that, shall we? Winner gets mating rights to Sabina and loser, well . . . they just lose. I'll even be fair and let you race me after this Meteor incident has blown off." Joe smiled a smile laced with venom as he held his hand out.

Cloud grabbed the man's hand and squeezed it as hard as he could as his eyes locked with Joe's in a menacing glare.

Joe blew on his injured hand as he shook it out. "Then it's agreed. Until next time Strife." Joe smirked before walking back to the stables.

Cloud was left standing in the betting arena fuming. He was still in a sour mood when Tifa ran up to him excitedly with an extra bounce in her step.

"Cloud! I won!"

* * *

Tifa shot Joe a deadly look as her eyes which were mixed with pain and spite. The tension in her body and tightening of her fights indicated to everyone that she was not happy with what she was shown. The video only strengthened the image the rest of the group had of Joe: that he was an ass.

"As you can see, Strife and I clearly set the agreement and he's bound by that. I can understand if Strife is afraid to race me and decided not to come with you all today," Joe said.

"Why don't you just shut up!" Yuffie screamed. "Cloud isn't here today cause he died saving your sorry ass from Meteor, Sephiroth and Jenova! Now take your agreement and stuff it!"

"Ah, my condolences. When you said he wasn't with you, I didn't realize it was permanent. That was rude of me, I apologize." Joe said unable to hide the pleasant surprise in his voice as he put his hat over his heart. "But that still doesn't change the fact that the agreement is still valid, even if Strife is deceased."

"I still won't let you take Sabina. It isn't fair." Tifa stated firmly before lowering her eyes. "Cloud wouldn't want that," Tifa whispered.

"I'm sorry Tifa, but the rules are the rules. Joe did make a valid agreement with Cloud and if Cloud can't honor that in a race, then he automatically loses." Ester said sympathetically as she put a comforting hand on Tifa's shoulder.

"Well that just sucks!" Yuffie punched the air.

"It's the way of life, I'm afraid. You just have to face the facts sometimes," Joe said with a smile.

"What do the rules say about having someone else race in the match?" Rufus asked Ester, trying to restrain himself from decking Joe in front of the two burly security guards sitting nearby.

"So long as Mortius races against Teioh, it doesn't matter who the jockey is."

"Well, none of that really matters because as Sabina's rider, Tifa isn't allowed to ride Mortius in this race since she has to get Sabina ready for my Teioh." Joe said as he studied his nails. "So why don't we skip the formalities and have Sabina brought over to my stables?"

"Not if I can ride Mortius!" Rufus blurted out.

Everyone stared at Rufus as he stood there defiantly. He wasn't going to let Joe get away with taking Sabina and he simply didn't like the guy.

"You? Ride Mortius?" Joe laughed. "What's your name?"

Rufus looked Joe in the eye menacingly. "I'm Rufus Sh--er," he almost blurted out before swallowing his words. _Oh shit! What do I do now? _

"Your name is Rufus Sher?"

Rufus paused for a second as he stared back at Joe and then noticed Ace standing nearby. "No, I just said I'm rufus you shithead so I don't need to give you my name."

"So your name is Rufus?"

"Did you hear what I just said? I didn't mean that my name was Rufus, but that I was rufus, unlike you. If you must know, my name's John Woolfe. I can't believe you've never heard of rufus before. You know, rufus?" Rufus smirked as he played his little song and dance.

Yuffie and Ace both snickered as Tifa tried her best to stifle a laugh. The martial artist had absolutely no idea what her friend was planning, but it was well worth seeing the confusion on Joe's face. Ester and two security guards watching the conversation joined in the laughter as they relished the entertainment of Joe's humiliation.

"So who are you? John or Rufus?" Joe huffed.

"Ace, this guy is totally unrufus, don't cha think?" Rufus said as he turned to the surfer.

"Yeah, totally," Ace smiled. "Unlike you dude. You're rufus!"

"Yeah, I am," Rufus laughed.

"I don't appreciate your inane banter," Joe seethed. "Are you going to race me or not?"

"Oh, I'll race you. I just thought that someone needed to smack you down a few notches on your ego there. It was starting to get hard to breathe with your hot head taking up all that space," Rufus crossed his arms in defiance.

"You'll regret those words," Joe thrust his finger in Rufus's face. "We race tomorrow after the 'Weakest Chocobo' bets."

"I'll be there." Rufus stared down at the shorter man.

"Ester, make the arrangements." Joe barked before fuming away towards the stables.

Ester nodded her head towards the veteran racer before speaking in an exasperated voice, "You just got yourself into a race you can't win."

"Don't worry, I'll beat him," Rufus said with confidence.

"You don't understand. Joe's never lost a race, ever. Not even Cloud has been able to beat him," Ester chided.

"We'll worry about that. I just don't want Joe taking Sabina away from me. I can't believe the nerve of that man," Tifa replied angrily.

"Gawd, I wish Holy would have gotten rid of all the assholes in the world. Let's kick him in the nuts and steal his materia while he's down," Yuffie said.

"You know it's against the rules to physically injure another racer before a race," Ester stated. "But at least you have a day to train. You can get started tonight after the 'Weakest Chocobo.'"

"When is that and what is that?" Tifa asked curiously.

"It's something new. We just started it a few days ago. The program is about to start so let's go to the monitors and see." Ester guided the group over to the large monitors.

Several people were running over to the betting arena making last minute bets as the group stood and watched the commotion. Families and the usual chocobo enthusiasts were eagerly awaiting the start of the program. A large group of people were holding placards protesting the program as they held up signs like 'Free the Chocobos,' or 'Chocobos have feelings too.' Protesters were a rare sight at Gold Saucer, but they were making their presence known today.

"Are there usually protesters during races?" Rufus asked Yuffie.

"Not like that they're not," Yuffie gaped as she read the signs. "Hey, I didn't know that racing chocobos could make you a murderer. Says who?"

The group passed the protesters as they shuffled through the growing swarm of people. Crowds were forming in front of the many monitors as they watched some handlers line up the chocobos on the track. Tifa looked at the group of chocobos questioningly. Usually chocobos are seen warking excitedly anticipating the race, but these chocobos look frightened and sickly.

"Ester, what sort of race is going on? These chocobos look too timid to be racing chocobos and there're no jockeys."

"It's all a part of the show. They didn't want any jockeys getting injured in the race. Just watch and you'll see."

Tifa nodded as she looked back at the screen. She couldn't see how a race of the slowest chocobos could be exciting.

The PA system buzzed and cackled as the main racing announcer opened up the race. "Evening folks and welcome to another installment of the Weakest Chocobo! We have a great line-up for you tonight. First, our usual suspects; returning we have 'Dog Food', 'Cannon Fodder', 'Glue', 'Barf' and 'You Should Be Shot'. Our newest chocobo in the line-up today is 'Din-Din'. The betting arena is closed now so please wait now for the start of the bell."

"Well those are some . . . interesting names." Rufus said to no one in particular.

The slew of questions that the group wanted to ask Ester were all hushed as a ferocious roar screeched on the monitors. A bell rang and all six chocobos scrambled off the starting line in a flurry of feathers and fluff. At first, it looked like the chocobos were sincerely trying to race, but soon the audience saw that the chocobos were running not for the competition, but because they were being chased. A familiar purple monster with bat-like wings swooped down upon the tracks. A few gasps were heard from the audience as several children started to cry.

"Don't worry folks, it's all part of the show," the announcer said reassuringly.

Tifa and Rufus both looked at each other pointedly before looking back at the screen. Chocobos were running frantically as Chaos circled around them in the air as if he was trying to pick which chocobo to eat. One chocobo was running around in circles, too frightened to know where it was going. Another had a near brush with Chaos and stood immobilized in fear as it defecated on the track. Chaos seemed to smirk as it dove for the paralyzed chocobo and grabbed it effortlessly. The poor chocobo didn't even seem to struggle as it lay limp in the monster's arms. The crowd cheered as some people were whooping with glee and others cursing as they tore up their betting stubs.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. It looks like 'Din-Din' is the winner or should I say loser for today's race. Please join us tomorrow night for another race of the Weakest Chocobo!"

Tifa, Yuffie and Rufus all stared at the screen in disbelief over what they just saw. Here they were hoping to ask Dio if he had spotted any sightings of Chaos and they find that Chaos was now one of the main attractions for Gold Saucer.

"Ace, where's your father. We need to talk to him, now!" Tifa demanded. She had never liked Dio and had been tempted in the past to demonstrate her ire for the man. Now it looked like she had a good reason.

* * *

A/N: No chocobos were harmed in the writing of this chapter. Also, I didn't think of the scene of Tifa reminiscing about Cloud in Wutai until someone inadvertently suggested it on a board that I post on. Sometimes you can make the most out of mistakes. Thanks for your patience in waiting for this chapter. I may still be busy this next few weeks so bear with me. 


	28. The Politics of Persuasion

**Chapter 28: The Politics of Persuasion**

He had been wandering for hours not really certain of where to go or what to do. He knew going back to the hotel was not an option considering what had happened. Dark memories caused his fingers to twitch as if longing to wrap themselves around something fragile. Tightening his hands into fists, he walked forward, ignoring the sights of the many homeless wandering the streets. Swarms of people stood begging for some food or water holding makeshift signs. Some held signs looking for money or a job. Their faces were painted with the horrors they had seen and their eyes were haunted with images that would stay with them for eternity. One man walked up and down the street with two large poster boards tied to his body. Bold handwritten letters with the foreboding message 'The End is Nigh' screamed at everyone he passed.

Nick felt uneasy as the man with the sign walked up the street in his direction. The blaring letters of uncertain doom stripped him of his confidence. He was naked to the world and that realization made him shiver unconsciously. He clutched a tote bag tightly to his chest for comfort, grasping to make sure his clothes and the precious gift his mother gave him were still there. He didn't even want to think of why the sadistic bastard enjoyed walking up and down the street unnerving people with his prophetic message of death. More people probably dropped money in his cup because they didn't want to think that the message was directed at them. It was like a payment to the devil; any little bit helped if you thought you were saving your soul. If Nick weren't so scared out of his wits, he would have considered it a brilliant marketing strategy.

Walking mindlessly through the streets, he hadn't noticed when the number of civilians had thinned out as more and more military officials were walking about. Nick suddenly found himself in the center of the Junon army base. A drill sergeant was shouting out profanities at a group of soldiers urging them to run faster while carrying a gun and a large backpack. He could see a line of civilians in front of an office waiting patiently for their turn to do a hundred jumping jacks while singing the ShinRa national anthem. Those who could do the exercise without passing out were the only ones admitted through the double doors. He shook his head as the pile of potential recruits who had failed the test. Those were some of the sights he saw as he wandered further and further into the military block of the city.

The whistling sounds of a harmonica drew him towards one of the barracks. He knew he was risking everything coming here, after all, it wouldn't take long before someone found his mother's body at the small hotel they were staying at. But if there was anything that his mother taught him, it was that he couldn't get anywhere without taking a few risks. No one seemed to pay him any mind as he walked into the musky barracks. The smell of sweat and unwashed socks assaulted his senses causing him to nearly gag. The men in the barracks didn't seem to mind the smell as they smoked cigarettes and played cards while the harmonica droned in the background.

In the corner on top of some boxes was a teenage boy with platinum blonde hair writing something down in a journal. Four men were sitting at the table smoking and playing cards. The first was a large balding man who didn't look like he fit the physical requirements for the army. Next to him was a tall thin man with spiked up brown hair. The fat man and the thin one looked like they were joking about something that Nick couldn't hear from where he was standing. A man with sharp Wutanese features sat nearby concentrating on his cards as a cigarette dangled from his lips. The last man looked like the leader of the group as he casually smiled at the good hand he had. He appeared to be a bit older than Nick was, probably in his thirties or forties. That man certainly wasn't the oldest in the group as Nick looked at the graying old man with the wrinkled face, blowing on his harmonica with withered hands. The small group looked like a reject camp for unwanted soldiers and Nick had no use for people like that.

He was about to leave when the man with the harmonica finally stopped the nameless tune he was playing and began to play Rufus ShinRa's inauguration theme. Several of the men started cursing as they threw their cards down or spit out their cigarettes.

"Damnit Crass, do you always have to play that stupid song?" The leader of the group flicked his cigarette at Crass, almost hitting him.

"What else do you want me to play? The music can't die."

"Do Freebird!" The fat man shouted.

"Shut-up Weggs," said the thin man.

"Make me Bidge!"

The two men started to bicker and rant while everyone stared waiting for them to quiet down. The Wutanian looking man stood-up in his seat as he threw a knife down on the table between the pair, effectively silencing them. They stared at the knife and then at the man, holding each other in fear.

"You've got to teach me that sometime Hwang." The teenage boy said putting his hands behind his head with a smile.

"Maybe later Sol." Hwang smirked as he pulled the knife out of the table.

"Well that's just fine and dandy that you whipper-snappers are all having fun. Y'all think you don't need no education, but yer wrong. I'm going back to playing my ole' harmonica."

"So long as you play anything but that damn song." The leader again declared.

"Why do ya hate it Knarls? Don't you believe the children are our future?"

"Cause I hate that song. It's hard enough being in the damn ShinRa army. I don't have to be reminded of everything ShinRa ya know."

"Isn't that a little hypocritical?" Sol said with a shrug.

Knarls mumbled something inaudible as he glared at Sol. The glare slowly turned into a smirk as he laughed. "Damn kid. You've got balls. That's why I like ya, Sol. You're too damned smart to be wasting your time serving ShinRa scum."

"Psst. Knarls," Hwang elbowed the man. "You might want to be careful what you say in front of company."

Hwang pointed to the entrance of the barracks where Nick stood staring at the small band of men. Everyone turned their attention to Nick who stood paralyzed at everyone's disapproving gaze.

"Okay, how long has he been standing there?" Knarls shouted.

"Around five to ten minutes. More like ten," Sol answered.

"Don't worry, he's harmless." Hwang said as he kept his steely brown eyes on Nick.

"You aren't some pro-ShinRa sissy, are you?" Knarls asked cautiously.

Nick straightened his back as he shook his head firmly. "You're looking at 100 pure-blooded ShinRa hater. I'd like nothing better than to bring the company down."

Weggs and Bidge looked at each other with smiles on their faces before they turned to Nick and ran up to him with open arms. "Brother!"

Nick had a look of utter horror as he watched the two men making their way towards him.

"Weggs! Bidge! Behave!" Knarls shouted.

The two men backed off looking a little down as they turned to each other, shrugged and then hugged.

"Sorry if those two numbskulls scared you back there. So what's your name?" Knarls asked.

"Nicholas. Nicholas King." Nick extended his hand to Knarls who shook it firmly. He felt comfortable around this man, as if they both knew they shared a common goal that had yet to be named.

"Good to meet you Nick. I'm Knarls. The man next to me here is Hwang. The two fags over there are Weggs and Bidge. The kid is Sol and gramps here is Crass." Everyone waved to Nick or nodded politely. "We're all the survivors of different battalions who had to go against those shitheads AVALANCHE or that fuck-face Sephiroth. ShinRa didn't think they needed to reassign us to a new battalion, so we're here stuck in the barracks just killing time."

"It's us poor old folks like me that ShinRa forgets. We ain't nothing but dust in the wind we is," Crass said before playing his harmonica.

"So you all hate ShinRa?" Nick asked with a hint of hope.

"Hate isn't a strong enough word to describe most of our sentiments," Hwang said in a low growl.

"Oh Hwang. You know that we love you. Even if your battalion didn't," Weggs opened his arms to hug the man.

Hwang flicked his wrist and held a knife against Weggs's protruding belly as he shot him a glare that would have made most men wet their pants.

"Okay, okay! I get it! Why doesn't anyone want a hug today?"

"I'll hug ya man!" Bidge opened his arms to Weggs.

Everyone stared at the two warily as they embraced. Knarls shook his head in disbelief as Hwang and Sol sat uncomfortably around them.

"Ah, young love." Crass said before playing a sensual tune about a young couple making love.

"Ah! Get it out, get it out! My eyes!" Sol shouted as he tried to stop the homoerotic images of Weggs and Bidge together: naked.

Hwang visibly shuddered looking a little pale. Everyone chose wisely to ignore the two men hugging to their hearts content.

"Maybe I should leave," Nick said.

"Nah, it's okay buddy. Just sit. We'll play a game of cards and ignore the two lovebirds over there," Knarls pulled a chair out for Nick.

"Ah Knarls, you know we're just fucking with you all. We're not really gay," Bidge laughed. He looked at Weggs with mirth in his eyes. They both started spouting confessions of love to each other as they embraced, yet again.

"Damnit! If you two don't stop hugging each other, I'm going to put a fucking bullet in your head." Knarls fumed as he pointed a gun at the both of them.

Weggs and Bidge slowly back away from each other as they smiled sheepishly.

"There. That's more like it." Knarls sat down next to Nick as he breathed deeply. "So tell me buddy. Do you know how to play poker?"

"A bit." Nick shrugged as everyone gathered around the table for a game except Sol who sat on top of some boxes writing in his journal and Crass who sat off to the side playing his harmonica.

Bidge counted out a number of blue and red chips before handing them to Nick. Weggs greedily handled his chips as he rolled one around on his knuckles, trying his best to look intimidating. Hwang lit a new cigarette before shuffling the deck of cards with a confident smirk.

"Okay, here's the deal folks. Jokers wild, red chip to enter the game and blue chips to ante up. The bigger the pot, the better."

Nick watched everyone throw in a red chip in the center of the table and he did the same as Hwang started to pass out the cards. He silently watched the mismatched group of men as they played cards. Knarls easily stared down the rest of the group with his menacing presence as occasionally he would finger the gun in his holster as a reassurance. Hwang had phenomenal skills with his hands throwing out cards to everyone with expert precision. Weggs had found a way to steal a few of Bidge's chips without him noticing and Bidge had found a way to peak at Wegg's cards without him noticing. Even Sol was adept at observing the game as he shook his head whenever Weggs would sneak one of Bidge's chips or if someone made a wrong move. So far, the only skill that Nick knew that Crass had was he could play the harmonica. As Nick assessed everyone's strengths and weaknesses, he slowly formulated a plan in his head that could help him. It might cost him, but he had nothing left to lose.

"So, you guys play cards often?" Nick asked.

"Everyday. We don't have anything else better to do in our spare times," Bidge sighed.

"If you could join another battalion, would you do it?"

"I swore to myself that I would never join another group of nameless faces who mean nothing to me." Hwang said as he folded two cards and grabbed new ones.

"I'd only be in a battalion if Bidge was in it," Weggs said.

"What if you were all in a battalion together? You all seem to get along really well," Nick slyly suggested.

"Ha. That would be the day. As much as I'd love to work with these guy, I doubt anyone in ShinRa has half a brain to think about that," Knarls snorted. "I fold."

"Yeah, ShinRa should put us all into a battalion! That's a fantastic idea! Maybe they'll send us some new recruits too and we'll have Knarls lead us." Weggs said excitedly.

"That's all we'd need, another group of green ShinRa-loving kids to potty-train," Hwang folded his cards in disgust. "I think I'd rather get a hug from Weggs than deal with that."

Weggs's face lit up as he gazed at Hwang with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Don't even think about it," Hwang threatened.

Nick paused for a moment as he looked at his cards and threw a blue chip in the pile. "Yeah, it would be difficult to find anti-ShinRa sympathizers among new recruits. But that doesn't mean there aren't any out there. Why, I bet if there was an organization that openly opposed ShinRa which needed some soldiers, you all could join that group?"

"Now that you mention it, wasn't there some stint on the radio a week or two ago where some company or group was looking for Rufus ShinRa?" Bidge asked. "They were ShinRa-something or another. I forgot, but they didn't sound pro-ShinRa to me. Just give me a minute and I'll think of their name."

"Are you sure that they even exist? Coulda been something you just imagined up. Like all those pink elephants sipping lemonade I saw dancing on Weggs's bald head," Crass asked.

Weggs frowned while he rubbed his head. Knarls and Hwang snickered as they imagined Crass's age-induced hallucination working its magic on Weggs's head.

"Not positive, but relatively sure. I know that ShinRa wasn't too happy about that and they've been secretly looking for the head of the organization." Bidge said looking his cards. "I fold."

"Well I for one would love to see an anti-ShinRa organization. Heck, I'd join them in a heartbeat if there was one." Hwang said leaning back in his chair.

"You and me both brother. You and me both," Knarls laughed as he gave Hwang a high-five.

"I guess I'd join too if everyone else is doing it. Don't want to be left behind, right Weggs?" Bidge nudged his friend who nodded absent-mindedly as he studied his cards. "Crass, Sol, you two gonna join too if we ever find this supposed organization?"

"Ain't got nuthing better to do," Crass sighed. "Ran out of peanut butter at home anyways. And my dog crashed the truck last week. Damn dog."

"Does Crass have a dog?" Weggs whispered to Bidge.

Bidge shook his head. "Not that I can think of, but you never know with him."

"So Sol, gonna join us too?" Weggs asked as he flashed him two thumbs up.

Sol shrugged as he looked up from behind his journal. "I guess so."

"Hey Nick, maybe you could join too! You hate ShinRa after all," Bidge suggested.

Nick smiled as he answered, "Sure."

Weggs he threw in a blue chip while eyeing his cards with a grin. "Oh baby, come to Papa!"

"Looks like it's just you and the new guy now. Think you can beat him?" Bidge smirked.

"Come on, with cards like this!" Weggs showed Bidge his hand proudly. Bidge nodded his head in approval, though he already knew what type of hand Weggs had. "I raise you one," Weggs threw in another blue chip.

Nick didn't bat an eye as he matched Weggs's bet. "Let's see what hand you have."

Weggs threw his cards down triumphantly as he stared Nick down. "Two pair sucker, Queens and Nines! Beat that one blondie!"

Nick threw down his cards with a confident look on his face. "Good hand, but not good enough. Full House."

Everyone gaped at the hand that Nick had. On the table were a pair of Aces, a pair of Eights and a Joker smiling mirthfully back at them. Beginner's luck was never so sweet.

"Well I'll be damned. Clowns to the left of me and a joker on the right." Crass mumbled.

"Good job Nick. Up for another round?" Hwang asked as he started to collect the cards.

"Maybe." Nick said as he eyed his tote bag. "Go ahead and deal me in. I'm going to get something else to put on the table for the pot."

Hwang dealt the cards as the clang of red chips hitting the table clinked in the air. Nick riffled through his tote bag until he found the carefully folded up piece of paper that had his destiny written on it. Making sure that the document was folded neatly so no one could read it, he tossed it into the pot.

"Okay boys, here's a little something for whoever wins this hand."

"What's that? A deed to a nice little estate in Midgar or something?" Weggs asked.

"Yeah, like any good that'll do ya now," Bidge said.

"It's not a deed. And don't worry. It still has some value." Nick reassured everyone.

Knarls stared curiously at the neatly folded piece of paper. "So, what is it?"

Nick glanced over at everyone seeing the curiosity peeking out from their eyes. He hoped that he was playing his cards right and seeing the document would clench their trust. It was a gamble, but it wasn't worth playing the game it you weren't going to risk it all. "It's just one of the reasons why I hate ShinRa so much. I'm sure you'll find it valuable once you find out what it is. But I'll talk about that after the game."

"Being a bit of an enigma now, aren't we?" Hwang said with a puff of his cigarette.

"For now, yes. But that's what we all are, aren't we? Enigmas." Nick answered cryptically.

"I don't think I can play any of their songs on my harmonica." Crass muttered before he dozed off in the corner.

The group played on ignoring Crass. A few blue chips were thrown into the pot as the game continued on. Nick waited for a few minutes as he watched his cards before he spoke again. "So how many other anti-ShinRa folks do you think are out there?"

"In the army, or just in general?" Bidge asked.

"Either."

"Well, I'd say a there's a handful of anti-ShinRa folks in the military, but in general, there are probably a lot more. Though that doesn't even cover the number of deserters."

"Hmm," Nick thought. "I wonder how hard it would be to form an army of anti-ShinRa soldiers."

"What, you thinking of starting some rebellion or something?" Knarls asked.

Nick looked straight into Knarls's dark eyes and smiled as he saw a faint sparkle of hope in them. "Maybe."

Knarls lips curled upward to an awkward grin. "Well, you let me know when you get that rebellion up and running."

"Don't worry, I will."

The game carried on with some idle talk as Weggs and Bidge folded their cards. Hwang's eyes scanned the room in an almost predatory way as he watched Nick and Knarls. All three men carried themselves as if they held the winning hand in the game, but only one could be declared the winner.

"Gentlemen, I think it's about time we show our hands," Hwang smirked.

"Only if you show yours first," Knarls replied.

Hwang sighed as he put his hand down with a smile. "If you insist. Read 'em and weap. Straight flush."

Nick and Knarls folded their cards in defeat as Hwang pulled the chips and mysterious slip of paper closer to him.

"So are you going to share what that piece of paper says?" Weggs asked.

"I don't see why not. As long as it isn't anything worth keeping to myself." Hwang joked as he unfolded the paper. His eyes scanned the document casually. Everyone watched his face scrunch up in confusion as he flipped the document back and forth, reading it over and over. Hwang stared at Nick scrutinizing the mysterious newcomer. There was an uncanny similarity to Augustus ShinRa in Nick's fair complexion and regal blue eyes. Based on his appearances alone, Hwang could almost believe that the birth certificate was authentic. But he had to be cautious, he hated traitors and worse of all, those that were trying to deceive him. "You're not trying to fuck with us, are you?"

Nick shook his head and kept his composure in front of everyone who scrambled to try and read the document. "That document is the genuine article. I am who I am."

"Who is he Hwang? What does the document say?" Weggs asked.

Sol had stood up on top of the crates and read the document over Hwang's shoulder. His eyes widened as he pointed at Nick. "You're a rich bastard!"

"What! Let me look at that!" Knarls snatched the paper up while everyone else gazed at Nick with a greedy look in their eyes. He quickly scanned the document and then looked at Nick pointedly. "Your father was Augustus ShinRa? How the hell? And why does it say that your last name is King if your Dad was a ShinRa?"

"That's the name! It was the ShinRa-King Corporation! That was the anti-ShinRa group who pulled that radio stunt." Bidge interrupted, glad he finally remembered the name that had been nagging him for a while.

Everyone looked at each other quickly before all eyes settled on Nick who looked calm, despite how sweaty his palms were or the fact that his stomach was twisting itself into knots. This was the moment of truth for Nick to decide whether he would get his chance to shine or be beaten to death by a man with a gun, a man with a knife, an old man who had fallen asleep in the corner, a teenager and two men who were very comfortable with their homosexuality.

"To answer all your questions. Yes, I am the illegitimate son of Augustus ShinRa and I'm also the head of the ShinRa-King Corporation. Now you're probably wondering how it is that a son of ShinRa would want to bring down his father's company?" Nick watched everyone nod their head. "Well, you all know that that brat Rufus took over ShinRa after Augustus died? If you look carefully on the birth certificate, you'll notice that I'm actually older than Rufus. Technically, I should have inherited the company, but they've done everything they can to make sure I don't see a cent of the ShinRa fortune.

"But it's not just about the money they're withholding that makes me bitter at them. I'm bitter at them for many other reasons. ShinRa has done everything in their power to make sure that nobody knows about their weaknesses. One of which is me, the living proof that Augustus ShinRa was an unfaithful man who didn't know how to keep his pants up. The company is incompetent and they've lost touch with what the people on this planet really want. I'm bitter that I see all their faults and possess the power to change it, but because of their laws, can't even step into the ShinRa offices, despite my blood relation. I want to change things, which is why I started an anti-ShinRa organization. I'm hoping that if I make my birth certificate public knowledge, it'll start a movement that will bring ShinRa to its knees."

Nick watched as everyone ate up all his words. He was feeding them a sugar-coated truth about his situation and snippets of what he thought they wanted to hear. He needed to throw them a few little white lies about his true intentions here and there in order to get them to support him. Politicians lied all the time so it didn't hurt to start practicing. Pandering to his constituents couldn't really be considered lying if it was heartfelt. And Nick truly did feel he wanted to change ShinRa for them, if only because they would help him get his power. It was a dog eat dog world and he wasn't about to be eaten.

"So this is for real, isn't it?" Knarls said.

Nick nodded. "And if what you all were talking about was true, then you all should join me and fight against ShinRa. That is, if you don't fear starting a rebellion."

The group looked at each other expectantly. Their expressions were mixed with a bit of excitement, trepidation and uncertainty. They all looked to Knarls who had guided them since they were put in the reject camp of lost soldiers. If he agreed to join Nick, then they would gladly follow. It also didn't hurt to know that if Nick were to gain control of ShinRa, then they would be able to get a piece of the ShinRa pie.

"We're going to need more people than just the seven of us. I think we'll have to do some recruiting if we're going to form an army for your little rebellion. What do you think guys?" Knarls asked.

Weggs smiled as he answered. "I can talk to the people on the streets and see if they're interested in joining and I'm sure Bidge will check with our buddies in other battalions and divisions."

"I can train any new recruits we have in hand-to-hand combat and I'll even train the kid, since he's been bugging me to teach him for a while." Hwang smiled as he nodded to Sol.

"About damn time. But what about gramps, what's he gonna do?" Sol asked as he pointed to the sleeping man in the corner who was starting to snore.

"Ah, just let him sleep. We'll worry about that when he wakes," Knarls said.

Sol nodded his head as he nervously twirled a pen around in his hands. "Okay, cool. Hey, I know someone who might be able to help us out. I'll go call 'im really quick."

"Sure kid. The more the merrier." Knarls said before turning to Nick. "Well Nick. It looks like you've got yourself an army."

"I'll never forget the good things you all are doing for me. Things are going to be different from now on and I'll make sure that you get to reap in the benefits." Nick answered with a look of satisfaction.

Knarls grinned as he held his hand out. "That's why I like ya Nick. You're a good man."

The two shook hands as the sounds of a brewing rebellion thundered in the distance.

* * *

Autumn let her fingers glide over the keyboard as she typed on her laptop. She had found a comfortable position on some rocks where she could work and be near the dig site. A smile graced her lips as she thought of the brown-haired man with emerald eyes who had a dimple in his right cheek whenever he laughed. It was usually her job to notice things like that, but her job description never required her to notice that he had a very toned body under his dress shirt and a cute butt: things she was leaving out of her article. Yes, Autumn was smitten with the young executive from ShinRa. It also helped that he had a noticeable attraction to her as well. After all, it takes two to tango. 

The startling buzz of her cell phone broke through her reveries of Thomas. She quickly picked up the phone hoping that it wasn't her boss.

"Autumn Noval here." Autumn's eyes lit up as she heard the voice on the other end. "What are you doing bro? Are you still up to no good?"

Her joyful expression soured as she listened to what her brother was telling her. He was getting himself involved in something dangerous and he didn't seem to care. But she patiently listened as she heard everything he had to say as well as his plans for how she could help.

"What if you get caught? I know that you really want to help me out here, but I don't want you to get hurt because of the risks you're taking." Autumn paused as she listened to him talk. "You say you're smart, but I don't call you an idiot brother for nothing you know."

Autumn was sure that she could talk him out of his little scheme, but four words kept her from completely chewing him out over the phone. Four words that he knew were his sister's weakness: scoop of the century. She had to hand it to him, her brother was a perceptive little bastard.

"You win this time. But call me with updates only when it's safe and don't give away any hint to them of what you're doing. I'll make sure that no one and I mean no one gets wind of this information, not even anyone in ShinRa. Also, you'll let me know when you think there's enough information for me to print this story and once I do, you get the hell out of there, you understand? Don't give me that crap. I'm being serious here. Sol, be careful out there."

The low-drone of the dial tone buzzed in Autumn's ear as she closed her eyes. She honestly worried about her brother. Autumn knew that she and her sister June weren't in a danger-free lifestyle. Being an investigative reporter didn't exempt you from thieves, rapists or any other unsavory characters that roamed the city streets. But that's what the bottle of mace in her purse was for. Her sister June didn't exactly live a quiet life either; though setting off bombs and calculating the vibrations to find treasure wasn't exactly Autumn's idea of a good time. But Sol had to be different. He had to dive head first into danger and join the ShinRa army. Now he was putting his scrawny neck on the line by playing covert operative and bringing her into his little scheme. Autumn sighed looking back at the computer screen with her article still waiting to be completed. Unfortunately, she wasn't in the mood for writing anymore. Saving the document, she muttered a silent prayer wishing for her brother's safety.

_God. Please keep my idiot brother safe. He's a good kid and tries really hard. Just watch over him and make sure he gets back in one piece so I can wring his neck when I see him again. Also, please watch over June in Bone Village. Thank you._

"I never thought of you as the religious type," a familiar voice said as Autumn finished her prayer.

Autumn turned to find Thomas staring back at her with a warm smile. "Tom! You startled me."

"Sorry about that. I just came over for our usual updates and saw you praying."

"Yeah, I was praying to God so he could help me finish this article. I've got to email it to my boss by the end of the day," she laughed nervously.

"Oh, need any help with it?"

Autumn smiled as she heard his offer. Briefly, she considered telling him about Sol. With the position Thomas had in ShinRa, he could help her brother. But she had promised Sol that she wouldn't tell anyone and that even meant keeping this information from June and her boss. "No, I think I can handle this. This is my job. But you could help by giving me that update of yours."

Thomas sat down on a nearby rock and grinned mischievously. "I'll give you my report only after you answer one of my questions first."

"Since when did this become an interrogation?" Autumn cocked one of her brows.

"Tit for tat Ms. Noval. I think you were the one who taught me that one." Thomas said, fidgeting with a pen in his hands.

"So the pupil has now become the master," Autumn faked a bow.

"I learned from the best. But my question is," Thomas paused as he swallowed hard. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Autumn stopped breathing for a moment as she heard Thomas ask her on a date. He looked so adorable sitting nervously beside her while he waited for her answer. All worries over her brother had disappeared after hearing Thomas's question and for one of the few moments in her life, Autumn had lost her cool composure. "I'd . . . I'd love to!"

The rest of the day all Autumn could think about was her date with Thomas. She briefly thought of the article she had to finish, but only due to the fact that the sooner she completed it, the longer she had to get ready for her date. Nothing could bring her down from the high she was on. Not even the thought that hundreds of miles away, her brother was talking with a group of men who would forever change the course of history, be it for better or for worse.

* * *

The air in Gold Saucer was typically light and carefree. However, today there was a group of angry people who were far from enjoying the amusement park's happy atmosphere. This group was AVALANCHE and they were ready to speak their mind to the owner of Gold Saucer. Ace was leading them to Dio's office near the back of the chocobo betting arena. His normally aloof stature was tense as he feared the look of pure determination and rage behind Tifa's eyes. He tried to find some solace in Yuffie, but the young girl was equally perturbed as Tifa was. The last thing he wanted was to piss off two deadly women. Even Rufus was wise enough to keep his distance. Tseng had once told him that you should never incur the wraith of an angry woman, and Rufus was never one to stray from Tseng's sagely advice. They finally reached the door and Ace barely had time to move out of the way as Tifa kicked the door open. 

"Dio, I need to see you now!"

Dio turned from where he was examining his muscles in the mirror and looked at the small band of people in his office. He saw his son Ace standing with the group and walked up to the boy pulling him into a ferocious bear hug. "Son! You've come to see your Pops? Good, good. I see you've been working out. Soon you'll be like me." Dio grinned as he flexed his muscles.

Ace smiled as he flexed his muscles along with his father before he heard Tifa clearing her throat. "Oh, uh, Dad. I brought someone here to see you."

Dio turned to Tifa who looked like she was about to pummel Dio if he didn't listen to what she had to say. "Ah, it's the pretty lady. What can I do for you today Ms. Lockheart?"

"What do you think you're doing having Chaos fly inside Gold Saucer and feeding him reject chocobos? Do you have any idea how dangerous Chaos is? You have to put a stop to this right away or someone could get hurt," Tifa fumed.

Dio was taken aback by Tifa's anger and stood dumbly for a while before responding. "I didn't know it had a name. Chaos, what a great name for a demon. I know you're mad, but he's generating great revenue and entertainment value for our customers. Ever since Chaos came crashing into the race track during one of the races and snatched up the trailing chocobo, the crowds have been demanding to see more. People haven't been this excited since you and the Boy fought in the Battle Arena. Speaking of which, where is that Boy?" Dio asked, looking around for the distinguishing blonde-spiky hair.

Tifa winced as all her anger melted away to reveal the sadness hidden underneath. She found herself struggling with the words as her emotions were running through a gauntlet of confusion. "Cloud's gone. He died shortly after we defeated Sephiroth."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Cloud was a good kid. He really was," Dio said sadly.

He tried to offer a consoling hand to Tifa, but she shook her head at the kind gesture. So Dio did the next best thing and gave her a tissue. Tifa took it and quietly wiped away the tears on her face.

Rufus knew that Tifa had lost her momentum to talk to Dio. She was in no condition to argue with the businessman, but Rufus was and he had been trained to do this from birth. "Dio, I know you say that Chaos is generating a huge revenue for you, but you need to stop letting him eat chocobos."

"Who are you Boy? Have I met you before?" Dio asked.

"I'm John Woolfe. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I believe this is the first time we've met." Rufus said as he extended his hand out.

"Nice to meet you John, the name's Dio." Dio firmly gripped Rufus's hand. "I know you think that Chaos is going to be a danger, but we've taken steps to make sure that he doesn't get into Gold Saucer until its time for the 'Weakest Chocobo' program. We don't even have any jockeys riding the chocobos for safety reasons. This has also been a great source of income for chocobo owners who need to get rid of their old and slower chocobos. They used to only get a few gil for selling them to the slaughter, but now they get a cut of the winnings if their chocobo is taken by Chaos. I've also been trying to make some revenue so I can donate some more money to ShinRa. Ever since the Meteor incident, they've been asking for donations to help with refugees from Midgar. So you can't say that all the money isn't going to a good cause. It's an honest business."

Rufus was impressed that Dio had such a good argument for keeping the program. He didn't have high expectations for him based solely on knowing Ace. But Rufus also had a quick wit and was not about to be out-done by a body-building businessman. "Hmm, you do have a point there. But I don't believe you know the extent of Chaos's power and thirst for blood. Let me give you a hypothetical situation. What if Chaos, in coming on his usual food run to Gold Saucer, decided that he was bored of eating chocobos? What if in his flying around Gold Saucer, he found a way into the actual amusement park and thought that one of the park guests made a tastier snack than eating chocobo meat everyday? Now if that situation were to arise, do you have a back-up plan or trained professionals who could somehow overpower Chaos and a good enough insurance premium to cover the number of lawsuits that might arise because of this incident? I'm not saying that a situation like that _should_ happen, but just wondering if you're prepared in case it _did_ happen."

Dio stood speechless as he listened to Rufus. He had never thought about the possible ramifications of Chaos getting loose out into the park. It also would be disastrous to Gold Saucer if any of his guests were to be killed in an accident like that. The park would go under and reputation would be sunk. Dio paced around the room as he tried to think of any way to prevent Chaos from getting into the park, but expenses for hired muscle would probably exceed the income being brought in from the races. He sighed in resignation.

"I think I see your point there. Chaos is a potential threat to the guests here. But I still don't know what I should do about the money the 'Weakest Chocobo' makes to give as donations to ShinRa. Admission tickets cover our operating expenses, but not much else. That's still one of my concerns."

"That's simple. You advertise that a percentage of the income on purchases and ticket sales will go toward helping the refugees of Meteor. Give your guests an outlet to show their sympathy and support for the people who've been misplaced. I guarantee you'll see more guests coming to your park."

"That's not a bad idea. But it might upset a lot of guests if we take away the hottest game we have in the park so soon after starting it. There hasn't been any large ticket sales for special events here since we featured a fight between Cloud and a behemoth."

Rufus brainstormed a few ideas that might replace the 'Weakest Chocobo' program. "I take it that Cloud has probably built himself a name in the Battle Arena. Well, you could host a tournament in his honor with entry fees and ticket sales going to ShinRa as relief money. Advertise using Cloud's name and list all his achievements to show how much of a hero Cloud was. That way you will have his old fans interested and gain some new ones as well."

Dio's eyes lit up as he heard the idea. He sincerely wanted to help ShinRa without compromising his business, but hadn't thought of a good way to do so. He also felt that Cloud deserved a hero's recognition for what he had done. "I like that Boy. I think I might use your ideas. A lot of people here love Cloud and if they hear about what he did to save the planet, I'm sure they'll be emptying their purses here to help the cause."

Tifa stood and stared at the two men discussing how to use Cloud's name for marketing purposes. She knew Cloud better than any of them and Cloud was far too modest to let his name be used like that.

Rufus had noticed the pained expression on her face. He knew that anything regarding Cloud was going to be a highly sensitive topic for her. For a brief moment, he questioned whether he should have suggested the tournament in the first place. He wanted to talk to Tifa to see how she was doing, but Dio was still droning on and on about endless possible money-making ideas that were suddenly popping into his head. Salvation came in the rare form of a mildly irate Yuffie barging in on Dio's ramblings.

"Hey! Meathead! What are you gonna do about Chaos now? What's all this talk about making money when we need to talk about how we're gonna kick some demon butt!" Yuffie said.

"Yuffie, do you want to work with Dio on a plan to get rid of Chaos?" Rufus asked the ninja, hoping that she would take the bait.

"Oh hell yeah! I can come up with a great plan to trap Chaos! Ace, you can help too." Yuffie said as she dragged Ace and Dio to a desk to draw out some plans.

Getting the distraction he needed, Rufus turned to Tifa. "You okay?"

Tifa stared up at him with pain in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but shut it promptly as she shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

Tifa hesitated for a minute before she finally spoke. "I don't think Cloud would want to have his name used like that. It'd be embarrassing to him and I don't want everyone to think that he wanted fame or fortune, because he didn't."

Rufus winced as he heard the hurt in Tifa's voice as she spoke about Cloud. He should have considered Tifa's feelings before mentioning his ideas to Dio. Right now, he felt like an ass. "Gosh, Tifa. I probably spoke too soon. I wasn't really thinking about that. I was just thinking about how to help Dio raise money for those refugees and all. His name would draw in a large enough crowd to increase the amount of money he donated."

Tifa's heart ached as she heard about the refugees. "I know you were only trying to help, but . . . I don't know if I'm completely comfortable with that. What if Dio abuses his name or does something that Cloud wouldn't want? What if . . . I don't know . . . I'm just not sure about this." Her voice faltered. She didn't want to sound selfish, but she was. As much as helping raise money for Midgar was important, preserving Cloud's name was everything to her.

After a long pause, Rufus gently placed his hand on Tifa's shoulder as he spoke to her in a soothing voice. "We won't do anything you're not going to be comfortable with. You know Cloud the best so you know exactly what he would want and what he would do. If you want me to make sure Dio doesn't misuse Cloud's name, I'll do that. If you don't trust Dio to run things, we'll stop it. Whatever you want Tifa. I may not have known Cloud very well, but I think he would have done anything he could have to help out those refugees. Maybe even this. Just tell me what you want."

Tifa bit her lip in frustration as she tried to tackle the decision she had to make. Would Cloud have minded having his name used like that? She thought back to all the heroic things Cloud had done. He had helped saved her when she fell off a bridge in Nibelheim. He was the one who rescued Priscilla from drowning and destroyed the sea monster threatening Junon. He was the one who killed Sephiroth and saved the planet from Meteor. The list went on and on. All of this he did without hesitation. He even swallowed his pride and dressed as a woman to help save her. Yes, Cloud would let Dio use his name like that. He had always been a hero his entire life and deep down Tifa knew that. But it was time that everyone learned how much of a man Cloud Strife was and how much he meant to her.

"You're right. He would do anything to help out." Tifa said as she stared straight into crystal blue eyes. Eyes which reminded her so much of the man she held dear to her heart. "Please make sure that Dio doesn't do anything to harm Cloud's name."

Rufus smiled hearing Tifa's words. He admired how strong she was, physically and mentally. He had no doubt that it would take a long, long time before she ever got over Cloud's death, but he was more than willing to stand by her side. He had told her that if she ever needed a shoulder to cry on he would be there and he always kept his word.

* * *

It was not a good day for Reno. He had been spending the better part of the morning convincing the police he was a Turk and he had authority to help in the investigation. It took him much longer than he would have liked to actually get them to consider Nicholas King as the prime suspect in his mother's murder. After that, the police took their time to issue a bulletin asking the public for information leading to his arrest. But now came the hard part: finding the murderer. 

Reno couldn't rely on Junon's police force: they already tried to prove themselves and failed miserably. Checking his watch, Reno cursed as he noticed how late it had gotten. He had an hour before dusk and no leads. There were few options open to him right now, but it was better than nothing at all. He just hoped that he remembered the number correctly as Reno punched in a few keys and sent a message through his PHS. He didn't know how long it would take to get a reply, but that didn't matter to him. The only thing on Reno's mind was a nice warm bed. The fact that a dead woman was recently there didn't bother him either; he was too tired to care anymore.

* * *

A/N: I want to know your opinion about what attracts you to this story. I posted that question up on my forums so feel free to write down your opinions. I want to make sure as an author I'm not writing things that are over my readers' heads. Thanks!


	29. Tears on Her Face

**A/N: I do not own the rights to FFVII. **

**Chapter 29: Tears on Her Face**

The morning breeze cooled the crisp air as Cid Highwind walked through the growing town of Kalm. He felt refreshed with a renewed vigor that inspired him. He hadn't woken up so energized in a long time and a wry smile crept on his face as he realized why. He stretched out his arms wondering when Shera would wake-up. It was unusual for Cid to work without getting Shera to help him, but this morning she looked so peaceful when she slept. He didn't have the heart to wake her. Besides, he wanted to inspect the Highwind alone this morning. It was Cid's way of helping him think with a clear conscious. There were a lot of things he wanted to do and he needed to find the direction where the wind was blowing him.

He finally found the Highwind parked just outside the city limits. She was a shining example of beauty as the waking dawn shed its light on her metal frame. Cid stroked the side of airship with a gentleness he didn't know he possessed until recently. The simple smoothness of her curves and almost unblemished surface brought a smile to his lips. Sliding his fingers against her, he thought he could hear her sigh in satisfaction. Her frame was sturdy weathering all types of storms, yet at the same time malleable to his touch. It was with pride that he learned every nut and bolt on her as well as the way she would shift ever so slightly to the right whenever he pushed too hard. She was always there for him and stood by him in even the worst of times. Gazing proudly at the large airship he wondered if he could build another beauty like her, one he could build with Shera: together.

"Well girl. You do me proud," Cid smiled as he ran his hand down the side of the Highwind.

Cid turned in time to see Nanaki walking up towards him with Kaya in tow and Sersa being carried in a stretcher by Johnson and Burns.

"Yo, Nanaki! You guys ready to head off?" Cid asked.

"We're ready. I think Kaya's eager to finally see Cosmo Canyon." Nanaki smiled at his mate who looked apprehensively at the Highwind.

"How does that large mechanical building fly?" Kaya asked.

"I could stand here for hours explaining the technical side of flying, but that might bore ya. But you don't have to worry about a thing. The Highwind's the best airship on this planet and I should know. Your boyfriend over there has ridden it plenty of times so he can vouch for me."

Nanaki rubbed his nose in Kaya's mane tenderly. "It's safe. You'll enjoy the view you get while up in the air so don't worry."

"I'm sure. I'm just a bit nervous. There are so many things that are new to me." Kaya turned to Sersa as she was being carried onto the airship. "Mother? Have you ever been on one of these before?"

"Yes, a long time ago when I was still a cub. These things were much smaller back then," Sersa replied before she was carted into the main hull of the Highwind.

Nanaki turned to Cid with a bright smile on his face. "So I guess we'll be parting for now."

"Yeah. Don't worry about things over here. Barret and I have it all covered."

Nanaki shook his head and tried his best not to laugh. "Be sure to let me know if anything comes up. I can come over and help if the need arises."

Cid laughed as he scratched Nanaki behind the ears. "We will. For now just enjoy your time in Cosmo Canyon. And be sure to tell old Bugenhagen we said 'hi.'"

"I'll be sure to do that. I can't wait to introduce him to Kaya."

"I'm excited too. Do you think that your grandfather will like me?" Kaya asked Nanaki.

"He will. I'm sure of it."

Cid watched the pair's close interaction with a smile on his face. Normally, he would make a rude or off-colored remark to kill the mood, but today he enjoyed watching the couple interact. He would have continued to enjoy the cute scene had he not heard the shrill scream of someone calling his name.

"HIGHWIND!"

Cid turned to see an extremely irate woman by the name of Donna Wallace walking towards him with murderous rage in her eyes. Behind Donna, Cid could see Shera wearing nothing but a bed sheet trying to reason with the woman. However, the soft sounds of Shera's voice were drowned out by Donna's echoing scream.

"You best be getting this girl to a church right now mister or there's gonna be a lotta pain in your future!" Donna's voice boomed across the plains.

"Ah hell!" Cid cursed before running over to Shera to try and protect her dignity.

"Don't you 'ah hell' me! Come over here so you can save this girl some of her honor."

"Ms. Wallace, it's really alright. It might be a bit rushed to have us get married right away," Shera stammered with a blush. She was trying her best to cover herself with the thin sheets, which did more to attract attention to her, especially the attention of men.

"Shera! I don't need you walking out of here naked," Cid draped his bomber jacket around her shoulders. "Lord knows what all these perverts in town are thinking." Cid glared at the group of men who had gathered as he rubbed Shera's shoulders tenderly.

"The only pervert I see here is you Mr. Highwind! I can't believe you took advantage of her like that!" Donna said.

"I didn't take advantage of Shera. We're both consenting adults."

"Then you both can consent to getting married like honest folks. Now come on while I get Shera something more decent to wear," Donna grabbed Cid's arm and dragged him along with her. Shera hugged the jacket around her with one of her arms while the other clung to Cid with her dear life.

Nanaki and Kaya stood still in their spots as they watched the humans march or be dragged off to a church. Nanaki watched in amusement while Kaya's ear twitched in curiosity.

"Do all humans mate like that?" Kaya asked.

"No, not all. Whatever you see Cid do, never think of it as normal. Cid is . . . unique that way." Nanaki answered.

* * *

Rufus passed through the bouncing beam of light once again as he skidded Mortius to a halt. It was his tenth run of the track that night and one of the few times he had beaten Tifa since they've been practicing. Panting, he stumbled off of Mortius and gave the chocobo an appreciative pat on the side before letting the bird wander off to the trough of water nearby. Rufus sat down on the brightly lit track and sighed. He never knew that racing took so much energy. 

Tifa had finished dismounting Sabina and let the chocobo drink heavily from the water trough, which made Rufus realize that he was incredibly thirsty. Licking his parched lips, he stared at the two chocobos slurping up water with satisfaction. He was so preoccupied with watching the chocobos drink, he didn't notice Tifa handing him a bottle of water until he felt the cold bottle pressed up against his neck.

"Here. I got these from the cooler in the staging room nearby," Tifa smiled.

"Thanks." Rufus gratefully took the water and chugged the refreshing liquid down. Tifa had regained some of her cheer after ironing out the agreement with Dio over the use of Cloud's name. It was probably because of the training, but a part of him hoped that it was because he played a part in helping her feel better.

Tifa joined Rufus on the floor sipping on her water. "You've definitely improved in the last few runs we've had. I think you might have a chance against Joe tomorrow."

"I better. That bastard needs to learn the word humility. But thanks for helping me out."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just as invested in this race as you are." Tifa said as she watched Sabina and Mortius nuzzling affectionately against each other. "Sabina deserves to have a choice in who she wants to mate with."

Rufus chuckled. "I think Sabina's already chosen. She probably doesn't want anyone else as her mate."

"Too true. You can't ever force these things. They just sorta . . . happen." Tifa smiled turning to face her friend. "Right?"

Rufus nodded, looking into Tifa's eyes. "Love's like that."

Before either of them could say anything else, Yuffie trotted towards them on Maru who happily bounced up and down, sharing the excitement of her mistress.

"Alright guys! I've got everything set up for tomorrow so we can catch Chaos!" Yuffie said as she jumped off of Maru, carelessly dropping some pamphlets on the ground. "I had a little trouble getting past those dumb F.U.C.'s, but I had Ace distract them while I snuck past."

Rufus stared at Yuffie debating whether or not he should strangle her to death.

"That's good to hear. I hope you didn't have too much trouble with those people you were talking about," Tifa said.

"Oh, you mean the F.U.C.'s? Nah, they were harmless." Yuffie scrambled on the ground and picked up one of the fallen pamphlets. "Here, let me show you."

Rufus and Tifa leaned in to read the leaflet. On the pamphlet was information about the cruel treatment of racing chocobos after they've lost their value on the tracks. There were statistics and pictures of sad looking chocobos that were waiting for the slaughter. It was a fairly effective leaflet trying to persuade people away from chocobo racing. However, the pamphlet's biggest flaw was the large bold letters that stood out from everything else: Sponsored by the **F**riends for **U**nderprivileged **C**hocobos.

Pausing for a moment, Rufus wasn't sure if he should burst out laughing or start to feel sympathy for racing chocobos. "Is this supposed to be a joke or are they serious?"

"Well, if you saw how serious they were when they were protesting, I'm sure you'd know that they weren't joking. But their name is seriously lame. I wonder who came up with their name? Probably the head of the F.U.C.'s or someone who's a fuckhead!" Yuffie giggled.

Tifa and Rufus stared at Yuffie for a moment before bursting out into fits of laughter. "That's the dumbest name I've ever heard an organization give itself. It is just me or is everyone in Gold Saucer a bunch of idiots?" Rufus asked clutching his stomach.

Tifa nodded her head as she laughed. "You're right, they're all idiots!"

"More like dumb fucks!" Yuffie grinned.

Rufus and Tifa laughed even harder, leaning against each other for support. Tifa was laughing so hard, she was practically crying. They were so tired from racing that anything Yuffie said sounded hilarious and holding one another for support seemed natural. It also didn't help that Yuffie noticed how close they were getting and was now purposely trying to get them to laugh so hard that they would fall all over each other into a precariously intimate position. The young ninja was far too crafty for her own good.

Unfortunately, her plans were foiled by her ever-so-endearing boyfriend who barged in with the layouts for the plan tomorrow. "Hey Babe. I brought the blueprints of the racetrack like you wanted me to."

Tifa and Rufus's laughter died down as they sat up straight. Yuffie pouted as she watched them remove their hands from each other and bring them back to their sides. She glared at Ace briefly before grabbing the blueprints from him and sitting down hastily in front of her comrades.

"Okay, listen up folks! Here's a blueprint of the racetrack. All those little X's are places were I put up traps along the track. Memorize them. I don't want to hear anyone complain that they didn't know where a trap was. I was even nice and drew the safest path you should run." Yuffie smirked as she handed out copies of the blueprints to everyone. "I talked Dio into canceling any races tomorrow before the 'Weakest Chocobo' so no one accidentally springs one of the traps I've been taking my time setting up. Tomorrow during the races, we're going to ride on one of the chocobos that's competing in the 'Weakest Chocobo.'"

"You're letting me ride one too, right?" Ace asked.

"You betcha! You're riding on 'Dog Food' since he's the biggest."

"Sweet! I'll get to use my board-blade again," Ace pumped his fist in the air.

Tifa shook her head remembering the last time Ace fought while Rufus tried his best to stifle a laugh.

"Tifa. I have you riding 'Glue,' while I'm going to take 'Cannon Fodder.' Both our chocobos aren't that fast and hard to control so we've gotta be careful. John, you're going to ride the new chocobo who's going to join the race tomorrow. I hear that the chocobo's pretty fast, just not suitable for the races. Not sure why."

"Guess I'll find out tomorrow. So is the game plan to shoot on sight or are we supposed to lure him to a certain spot?" Rufus asked.

"It's shoot on sight! I'm hoping we'll be able to kill Chaos off when he least expects it. He'll be distracted by the thoughts of chasing after dinner and won't think that dinner's going to fight back." Yuffie said triumphantly. "And if we don't manage to kill Chaos and he escapes, Dio's going to seal up the hole he goes through with metal, cement and anything else that will keep him away."

Rufus nodded his head after hearing Yuffie's plan. "So it looks like we've only got one shot at him tomorrow and if we fail, hopefully he'll get the message that he's not wanted at Gold Saucer."

"Exactamundo!" Yuffie said cheerfully. "Now that everyone knows the plan, I need to double check all the traps to make sure that they're working properly. Come on Ace, let's go."

As Ace and Yuffie walked off together, Tifa thought she saw the ninja wink at her before running off down the track. Tifa sighed as she shook her head at the young girl. She turned back and smiled as she saw Sabina and Mortius cuddled up next to each other sleeping. _John's right. They already have chosen each other as mates_. _It would be cruel to separate them._

Rufus smiled also witnessing the interaction between Sabina and Mortius. Watching the two chocobos warmed his heart as he memorized the scene. He was racing to preserve the bond that the two chocobos shared. If chocobos were anything like humans, then both of them would be heartbroken if they had to be split apart.

"I'm going to win," Rufus said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I'm going to win, Tifa. No matter what. I won't let Joe beat me. I swear it." Rufus stared at Mortius and Sabina as he made his oath.

Tifa gazed at him with respect as she nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, you'll win. I just wish there was more we could do to help get you ready for tomorrow."

Rufus sat and thought for a moment before his head shot up. "Hey, Tifa? Do you think Ester could get us some videos of Joe's races? I think if maybe I watch him race, I can get an idea as to how to beat him."

"That's a great idea. Follow me. Let's go see if Ester has any." Tifa sat up and dusted herself off before running out to the jockey holding area.

After speaking with Ester for a few minutes, Rufus and Tifa found themselves in a private room with a video screen and a stack of tapes covering Joe's races.

"Okay, this should be recordings of all of Joe's races. Think you'll be okay on your own for a while?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah. This will keep me entertained for the rest of the evening. I'm sure if I study them enough, I can figure out some strategy to beat him." Rufus said as he scanned the various tapes.

"Well don't stay up too late. You have an important race tomorrow. I'll take care of getting Mortius into the stables so he can rest properly." Tifa said as she opened the door to leave. "Oh, John?"

"Hmm?"

"In case I don't get a chance to tell you tomorrow, Good Luck!"

Rufus smiled and nodded his head. He felt his confidence rise as Tifa's lithe figure walked out of the room leaving him with the video's of Joe's races. With people like Tifa and Yuffie supporting him, he had to win. Losing was not going to be an option.

He pulled his attention back to the video monitor and began the tiresome task of studying the races. So far the results were all the same. Joe would pull in front and somehow keep Teioh at a strong pace throughout the race until the finish. Teioh would never tire: he was almost like a machine. No one seemed to be able to keep up with Joe, not even Cloud who skillfully rode Mortius in all of his races. Winning against Joe seemed to be a far stretch based on the videos. Joe had the clear advantage with Teioh and he always ran the same route skillfully maneuvering through the twists and turns on the track. His racing was flawless. Rufus was about to switch to the next tape when he noticed something peculiar about Teioh during the race he was watching. Pausing, Rufus rewound the tape until he could see the anomaly again. Not quite believing his eyes, he played the scene over and over again. He checked another tape to make sure that what he was seeing wasn't simply a trick of the camera. But the results were the same. Rufus sat back in his chair solemnly finally realizing the secret behind Joe's winning streak. Now was the question of how he was going to use this information to his advantage.

* * *

She couldn't believe it. It was the day she had always dreamed of since she was a little girl and now she was finally living it. Shera was getting married. Elmyra had somehow found a plain white wedding dress for her to wear and Donna had forced Cid into a dusty old tuxedo that one of the residents of Kalm loaned him. Shera felt a little self-conscious about wearing all white considering, but this was the only dress Elmyra could find in town on such short notice. She was surprised that only two hours after Donna had found her in Cid's bed that she was now waiting inside a small church in Kalm. 

A part of her was still in disbelief that she and Cid had gotten as close as they had recently. Before Cid left to fight Sephiroth, she would have never thought that Cid Highwind would have any sort of romantic or sexual feelings for her. That left her with the doubt of whether or not Cid really wanted to go through with this. She didn't know if he loved her or was only going to marry her because Donna would string him up by his toes until he did. After all, she'd never heard him say those three words yet.

"Ms. Shera?" a soft voice asked.

Shera looked down to see Marlene dressed in a frilly pink dress staring up at her with soft brown eyes. "Yes Marlene?"

"You look really pretty."

Shera smiled at the child's sincerity. If only Cid could be like that. "Thank you Marlene. You look beautiful too in that cute pink dress."

"Auntie Elmyra picked it out for me. She says that I'm going to be the flower girl," Marlene said as she curtsied.

"And what a beautiful flower girl you'll be," Shera said trying to hide the doubt on her face.

Marlene gazed up curiously at Shera's face. "Aren't you happy Ms. Shera?"

"Oh, I'm happy. After all, I'm getting married, right?" Shera stammered, startled over the girl's question.

"But, you look sad. Are you sad about something?"

Shera didn't know how to answer that question. She was sad, but how could you explain to a young girl that you weren't sure if your future husband loved you the same way that you did. "I don't know sweetie. I don't know why I'm sad."

Marlene pursed her lips for a moment before breaking out into a smile. "Don't worry Ms. Shera. Un'ca Cid will make you happy once you get married. He told me so."

"He did?"

"Un huh! He said so this morning while you were still sleeping. So don't be sad cause Un'ca Cid wants you to be happy."

Shera smiled hearing Marlene's words. She squat down and kissed the little girl on the cheek and brushed a stray lock of hair back. "Thank you Marlene. I think I can be happy now."

The door opened and Barret walked in wearing a suit that was made for a man with slightly more fat than muscle. "You girls ready?"

"Yeah!" Marlene said excitedly as Shera shyly nodded her head.

"That's my girl. Come on. Let's show everyone the pretty dress that Elmyra bought you." Barret took Marlene's hand. "Shera, once you hear the music, that's your cue to come out. Try not to give the old man a heart attack with your good looks," Barret said with a wink.

Shera stood in the room by herself blushing as she recalled what Marlene told her. Cid wanted to make her happy. Maybe this marriage could work. Maybe she could find herself living the dream of becoming Shera Highwind in both body and soul. And maybe, just maybe, deep down underneath that gruff exterior, Cid actually loved her.

Before she had time to ruminate on the matter anymore, the soft tones of an organ echoed through the church. It was time. Taking a deep breath, Shera hesitantly opened the door and stepped out onto the aisle that was sprinkled with flower petals. Raising her head, she saw Cid's jaw drop. His eyes never left hers as she saw his face brighten every step she took towards him. She couldn't believe it at first, but as she drew closer and closer to the alter, it was unmistakable. Cid loved her.

Shera couldn't stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She knew that she was going to cry at her wedding, but never did she think she would break down like she did. Once she reached Cid, he started to wipe away her tears with the sleeve of his jacket. His face was etched in worry and seeing that only made Shera cry even more because it showed that Cid cared.

"Shera, what's wrong? You don't like this? We can stop if ya want?" Cid asked completely unsure of himself.

Shera shook her head as she held onto Cid's hand tenderly. It was wet with all of the tears she'd been crying; tears that he was catching in his rough calloused hands. "Nothing's wrong. I don't want to stop this."

"But . . . you're crying."

Shera looked into Cid's blue eyes and laughed, sniffing away a few tears. "I'm happy Cid. I'm crying because . . . you make me happy. I'm sorry I made you worry."

Cid shook his head with a wry smile. "I'll never understand women. But as long as you're happy."

The ceremony was short and to the point. Exactly the way Cid and Shera wanted it. Barret had made them a pair of rings out of some scraps of mythril that he collected in the mines. Donna and Casey had thrown some streamers and white chiffon around the church to set the mood. Everyone contributed what he or she could and though it wasn't the wedding that Shera had always dreamed of, it was still perfect. Even their first kiss as husband and wife felt right. He was gentle yet possessive at the same time. He didn't even seem to mind when a bit of her lipstick remained smudged on the corner of his lips. She was now Shera Highwind, Cid's wife. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Kaya stared with wide-eyes as she watched the ground move faster than she ever imagined. Trees looked like tiny green dots as large mountains seemed to be only pebbles lying on the ground. The clouds looked more and more like white powder puffs of rabbit fur the closer she was to it. She couldn't even describe the shimmering sea of the ocean when they finally flew past that. It was the first time she had seen it and the sight took her breath away. She always wondered what it was like to fly like a bird and now she knew: it was exhilarating. 

"This is so much fun. I can't believe we're actually flying."

Nanaki laughed. "You remind me of when I first flew in the Highwind some time ago. But after a while, you get used to it."

"Do you ever lose the excitement?"

"No, never." Nanaki smiled licking Kaya's nose.

"So we'll be in Cosmo Canyon soon?"

"Yes, soon."

"I'm so excited. I can't stop moving. Though I wish we could have stayed to see Cid and Shera mate. I was curious as to what it would be like."

Nanaki nearly choked hearing Kaya, forgetting that she wasn't accustomed to the different human interactions and customs.

"I do not think they would have appreciated that dear Kaya." Sersa smirked. "Humans are different when it comes to their mating rituals. They make it very complicated and sometimes do unnecessary and confusing things that will take some time for you to understand."

"But mother, will I ever get a chance to see some human customs?"

Nanaki quickly answered. "There have been occasional weddings in Cosmo Canyon. I'm sure you'll have a chance to see them. As much as I would have liked to see Shera and Cid get married as well, I know Cid and given the situation, he probably didn't want anyone to see him get married."

Sersa pursed her lips in confusion. "Humans are so confusing."

Sersa chuckled as he listened to the conversation. Watching Nanaki and Kaya playing with each other lightened the mood. The moving scenery also helped ease her mind off of the pain in her muscles. The world really was a beautiful place and she was glad that she got to see it in all of its splendor and glory from the Highwind. If she had the energy, Sersa would probably be walking around excitedly as her daughter. But what energy she had she needed to save. She was born in Cosmo Canyon and she would die there.

"How much longer until we get to Cosmo Canyon?" Sersa asked the pilot.

"Fifteen more minutes or so. We just past over the Wutai-Cosmo strait so it shouldn't be too long now."

Sersa nodded and returned to watching her daughter and her mate playfully interact. Those two were special. They were going to be the Canyon's future, she could feel it.

Meanwhile, deep within the tunnels of Cosmo Canyon, an old man laboriously floated down the stairs. It had been getting harder and harder to move around the canyon these days. His bones creaked more and his eyes were used to younger, more youthful days when he didn't need to squint as much. Bugenhagen was getting old, too old. He thought he had at least another decade or two in him. The cheerful old man laughed to himself. If anything, at least his heart stayed young. But it wasn't the time to think about things like that. Nanaki was returning home and Bugenhagen was determined to great him when he arrived.

Just as Bugenhagen had managed to make his way outside to the canyon floor, the wind picked up blowing dust and debris around. The noise from the Highwind drew many of the town's residents out to watch the curious sight. The Highwind touched down and the people of Cosmo Canyon smiled as they saw their protector and hero run out of the airship towards the town.

Shouts of joy echoed off the rocks. "Nanaki is home! The Guardian of Cosmo Canyon has returned!"

Nanaki leaped into the center of the crowd, relishing the welcome his friends were giving him. He peered out into the crowd looking for the familiar face of his grandfather. He didn't have to look far as the loud boisterous laugh of Bugenhagen rang nearby.

"Grandfather!"

"It's good to see you Nanaki. I see you've been well. Is there any reason for your happiness lately?" Bugenhagen asked suspiciously.

"Yes there is. I want you to meet her," Nanaki said in a rush as he bounced back and forth.

Bugenhagen watched in amusement as Nanaki ran through the crowd only to return a short time later with his new mate. She stood tall and confident with only a slight tinge of nervousness in her eyes. There was no hesitation when she bowed graciously before him with an air that spoke of her respect for him.

"Honorable Elder Bugenhagen. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Kaya, daughter of Sersa, mate of Nanaki. I wish that you take me in as a resident of Cosmo Canyon and an adopted granddaughter."

"Oh no sweet child. The honor is mine," Bugenhagen bowed his head politely. "For you have made my grandson happy and there's nothing more that this old man could ask for."

Kaya's eyes lit up as she heard the kind remarks. She looked towards Nanaki who winked at her with a smile. "Thank you Bugenhagen. I'm grateful that you all will have me."

Bugenhagen smiled at Kaya and then gazed up to see someone he hadn't seen in a long time. She was weak and could barely stand on her own legs, but she was also strong-willed and remembered the respect and teachings of the Canyon. "Sersa, it's been a while my child."

"Hello Elder Bugenhagen. It has been a while." Sersa said with a reserved smile. Her knees were shaking, but she could not fall. It would be a stain on her honor and pride to show disrespect to an Elder despite her injuries. She also had to atone for what she did and for running away when her tribe was in need. She was afraid back then, but lost that fear long ago. "Elder, I--"

Bugenhagen raised his hand to interrupt her. "Rest. You're injured and I worry more for your health than whether or not you remember our customs. We'll talk later."

Sersa collapsed down on the floor in exhaustion. "Thank you Elder."

Kaya rushed to her mother's side, eyes laced with worry. "Are you alright Mother? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine Kaya. I just need to lie here for a moment." Sersa smiled as she breathed in the fresh air and smelled the fine dust of the canyon. "It's good to be back home."

"So this is home now." Kaya said softly. "It's beautiful."

"Isn't my dear?" Bugenhagen asked. "Nanaki, why don't you show your blushing bride around the canyon. Sersa and I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes grandfather." Nanaki bowed to both Bugenhagen and Sersa before he left, talking animatedly to Kaya.

Bugenhagen and Sersa watched passively as the two lovers walked away from the town square. The crowd slowly dispersed, following Nanaki and his chosen mate. The Elder and Sersa patiently waited until they were the only ones left standing.

Sersa eyed the Elder warily before finally speaking. "I see that the Cosmo Candle still burns as brightly as ever."

"It burns to light the paths of all the children of Cosmo Canyon. Even yourself."

"That may be, but I do not think I am worthy of its radiant light."

Bugenhagen chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day when the proud Sersa, daughter of Merinda felt that she was unworthy of anything. Is there any reason why you should feel unworthy of the Candle's warmth?"

"Yes, I afraid that there is," Sersa said as she bowed her head low. "As everyone knew, I was involved with Nattak. But I made a mistake with him. I was careless and accidentally showed him all the weaknesses of Cosmo Canyon. I already heard from Nanaki the grave consequences for my actions. I fear that Cosmo Canyon will never be the same because of me."

Bugenhagen sat down and sighed as he looked at Sersa with sympathy and acceptance. "None of my wisdom can completely wash away the guilt you must be feeling. But I do not think that the Candle will shy its rays away from you because you fell in love. Everyone makes mistakes. The real question is what your intentions were when you made the mistake and the reparations you've made to repair it. I think in your case, you had no intention of providing someone in the Gi tribe with the canyon's weaknesses. I know you too well. It was not your fault that some rebel Gi used that information against us. You didn't know what would happen. And in terms of the reparations, I think you've done enough by bringing your daughter into this world. She and Nanaki may very well be the last of their kind. You give the canyon hope and because of that, the Candle will always bless you with its warmth."

The Cosmo Candle blazed brightly for a second as if agreeing with Bugenhagen's words. Sersa closed her eyes as warm tears spilled from her eyes. She felt like a great weight had been lifted off of her. "Thank you Elder for your kind words and for finding a way to forgive me for what I have done."

"Why should I forgive you when I should be thanking you for making sure that Nanaki will be happy when I finally pass on." Bugenhagen smiled. "We're both not getting any younger and as much as great-grandchildren would lighten this old man's heart, I fear that neither of us will be able to see that."

"Then you know?" Sersa looked up at Bugenhagen expectantly.

"Yes. I know. When you've lived as long as I have and have seen as many people on the verge of death, you learn to see the signs. Are you afraid?"

Sersa shook her head.

"Good. As you should be. But come. Tell me more about what you've been doing since I last saw you and what you've taught Kaya." Bugenhagen laughed boisterously.

Hours passed in Cosmo Canyon as the sun slowly started to set in the East. The Highwind had long since departed returning to Kalm and the news about this afternoon's surprise visit had already spread throughout the entire canyon. The sky was painted in purples and pinks stretching across the sky to infinity. It was on top of a cliff overlooking the vast plains of the canyon where Nanaki and Kaya stood before a hero.

Taking a cautious step, Nanaki walked forward pausing next to the stone statue of the brave Seto. "Father, I've returned. I know we haven't talked much, but I wanted you to meet someone. She's my mate, Kaya."

Kaya walked in front of Seto and bowed in respect. "Hello honorable Seto. I am Kaya, daughter of Sersa and your son's chosen mate."

Though Seto couldn't move, the pair almost thought that his mouth curled up in a smile underneath the stone.

"I'm glad you approve. I hope that we'll be able to visit you again soon to show you your grandchildren." Nanaki said as he smiled secretly to Kaya. "But we wanted to watch the sunset with you tonight if that's alright with you. Kaya has never seen a Cosmo Canyon sunset and I wanted her to share that experience with you."

Small teardrops trickled down the façade of Seto's face as he stood with his son and daughter-in-law. Though Seto had seen the sun set in the canyon since he was born, none of them compared to the beauty of the sunset tonight. Tonight, Seto would see one of the most beautiful sunsets in his life because beside him were his family and with his family, the future of Cosmo Canyon.

* * *

A/N: I've been busy as of late and when I've had time to write, too lazy. I blame it on the pressures of the adult working world. But hey, I'm old enough to buy alcohol and pornography so I guess it can't be all that bad. 


	30. The Secret of Teioh

**A/N: I do not own FFVII.**

**Chapter 30: The Secret of Teioh**

Eight hours. Eight hours of his life gone, never to return again. Wasted sleeping in the bed of a dead woman who he had only met briefly and the only thing he could remember about her was that she was a bitch. Life could have been much better for Reno, but at least he was able to get some sleep. He needed more though and would have wasted a few more hours in the bed of the bitchy dead woman if his PHS hadn't woken him up.

That was the reason why Reno was walking down a dark alley near the military district. Not something that the normal person would want to do near dusk or any time of the day for that matter. There was hardly a soul in sight and it was justifiably so as the smells of sewage and vomit covered the alley in a putrid mist. At the end of the alley was a beat-up wooden shack with the initials W.C. carved into the door. A faded 'Out of Order' sign was nailed underneath the letters. Reno stared at the dilapidated structure for a moment with lazy eyes.

"Tch. Just my luck," he said before kicking the door open.

The inside looked surprisingly well kept, except for the duct tape sealing the toilet lid shut. Reno held his nose as he entered the stall and silently debated whether he should sit down or not. He opted to remain standing wrinkling his nose in disgust at the thought of what may lie hidden in the toilet that it had to be seal off with duct tape. Searching the small outhouse, he finally found the lever to flush the toilet. The rusted metal was barely hanging onto the wall and beyond repair. Sighing, Reno pushed the lever in until he heard a distinct click and then pulled it out twisting the knob to the right. A sharp hiss was the only warning he got before the floor jerked to the left and Reno was almost thrown against the wall as the wall spun around quickly to reveal another room behind the outhouse.

"You could've sat on the toilet." A deep voice said in amusement.

Reno straightened himself eyeing the toilet seat warily. "Do you ever clean that thing?"

"No."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't." Reno said as he looked around his surroundings. The room was sparse filled with only a few electronic devices and a light bulb that flickered on and off. "Nice place ya got here, Walt."

"Stop being an ass, Reno. I live in a hole in the wall. By the way, since when did you shave your head?"

"Since I noticed that Rude could pick up more girls than I could," Reno joked. "Besides, I haven't gone covert in a while. It's always nice to brush up on the stealth thing, though you're probably sick of it by now."

Walter smirked. "I'm starting to see why Tseng picked you as his successor."

"What, you doubted me? I'm hurt," Reno put his hand over his heart in an act of pain. "But seriously. You've got the information I need?"

"I've got better than just the location of that prick you're tracking. It turns out that piece of shit found a nice little septic tank of shits to join his cause. Not only that, but this particular septic tank is located in one of the Junon barracks."

"Damn, that's not good."

"No shit!"

"So do you think I should try to plunge those shits out myself or do I need to call a plumber?"

"Kid, at a time like this, it's best to pull out the big guns before the shitty water overflows onto the bathroom floor," Walt looked at Reno seriously. "Here are the details of the people he's working with and where they're camped out. I'll do my best to get out of your way, but those guys have been pissing me off and though I'm old, I've been aching for a good fight. Maybe this'll be the one."

Reno looked at Walter with a grave expression. "Are you still hung-up on going for that warrior's death or some shit like that?"

Walter closed his eyes and sighed before answering. "Fuck Reno, I haven't killed a man since I had to kill my best-friend."

"From what I heard from Tseng, Zangan wanted you to kill him. He said that it was an honorable death."

Walter rubbed his forehead gently tracing the many wrinkles on his face. He was feeling his old age catch up to him. It was times like this where he could almost understand Zangan's feelings that day: almost. "It was. I shouldn't have been surprised when he came to me with his request. We both believed in following a warrior's code of life."

"Not much of a life if you have to ask your friend to kill you in a fight to the death."

"It may not seem like much to you, but that's the life we both choose. Hell, haven't you ever considered dying in the heat of battle by a worthy opponent? That's the only way a hardened soldier should die."

"Nah, I follow the wino's code of life. My ideal is to die getting wasted and choking on my own vomit while I'm still in my prime," Reno said with a smirk. "That whole dying in battle stuff cramps my style. Plus, I think Rude loves me too much to be able to do me in."

Walter scoffed. The two men stared at each other for a moment before the older man started to chuckle. "Only the good die young Reno. Besides, I hear that death by choking is rather painful."

Reno shrugged. "That's okay. I think my second option would be for me to have a heart attack while banging a hot babe. So would something like that count as a warrior's death? I mean, there's definitely some heated stuff going on if you know what I mean."

"No. But I think it could be labeled as a good death," Walter smiled with a wink.

_(break)_

The atmosphere was tense. To say that Rufus ShinRa was nervous had to be the biggest understatement of the year. His stomach was twisted in knots as he checked and rechecked his equipment. If he only had to prepare for a confrontation with Chaos that may potentially lead to destroying the monster, he could handle that. If he only had to mentally prepare for a race with the reigning undefeated champion of chocobo racing, he could handle that. But the fact that he had to do both in one night was grating on his nerves.

"Hey, you nervous man?" Ace asked as he waxed his board blade.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Rufus's voice wavered.

"Don't sweat it man. You're cool. It'll be okay. If you need some last minute advice or anything, I'm game."

Rufus gazed at the relaxed teen and wondered how he managed to remain calm throughout this ordeal. He didn't think that any advice from him would be worth his time, but he had nothing to lose. As long as he didn't have to smoke or inhale any illegal substances, he'd take any advice to clam his nerves: even Ace's. "So what's your advice?"

Ace gave a goofy grin before he answered. "Picture everyone in their underwear."

Rufus stared at Ace for a second surmising that the boy had probably been dropped as a child. "What?"

"Picture everyone in their underwear. Trust me, it works."

He didn't want to think too hard about Ace's advice. It certainly was something that Rufus wouldn't put past the hormonal teenage boy to do in his spare time whether he was trying to quell his nerves or not. Before he had any time to berate Ace about the unethical nature of his suggestion, Yuffie and Tifa entered the jockey staging area.

"Hey guys, you all ready to kick some demon butt!" Yuffie said exuberantly.

"You bet we are babe." Ace smirked as he put the finishing touches to his board-blade.

Tifa turned to Rufus and gave him a reassuring smile. Upon seeing the busty martial artist, Rufus's thoughts lingered back to what Ace said and he silently wondered what Tifa looked like in a black, lacy bra.

"John, is something the matter? You look a little flustered?" Tifa asked.

Rufus snapped out of his silent musing and forced himself to look Tifa in the eyes. "Oh nothing! Just nervous."

Tifa smiled as she pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll do fine."

She was completely unaware that her male companion was trying to picture her in something red and dangerously suggestive. Rufus made a mental note to punch Ace in the face for corrupting him and then later buy him a new board-blade to thank him.

"Tifa, John! Come on! I gotta show you your chocobos!" Yuffie said as she waved to get their attention.

Before them stood four chocobos warking in their stalls as they waited for the start of the 'Weakest Chocobo' races. Two of the chocobos were looking around wildly as if they had a pot of coffee to drink mixed with a bag of sugar, or maybe two. The largest chocobo stood idly as it grazed on some greens nearby. The last chocobo warked happily as it stood there patiently waiting for the race like a well-bred racing chocobo should.

"Well, here they are guys! The two bouncy chocobos are Glue and Cannon Fodder. I gave them some hypers so they'll be ready for the race," Yuffie smirked.

"Isn't that illegal under racing regulations?" Rufus asked.

"Yeah, but we're not racing to win so it's okay," Yuffie shrugged. "The big chocobo pigging out on greens is Dog Food. I'm sure he'll be big enough for you to ride on."

Ace looked up at the large chocobo curiously. "Are you sure this is a chocobo and not some giant mutant chocobo or anything?"

"He is kinda big," Tifa wondered.

"I don't question these things. They just showed me which chocobos are racing and I figured that they wouldn't let giant mutant chocobos race so, whatever." Yuffie dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. "Now this beauty is the chocobo that John gets to ride on. John meet Princess Angelina."

The chocobo warked happily upon hearing her name as she gave Rufus a friendly nudge. Rufus stared at the chocobo skeptically wondering who in their right mind would give a racing chocobo such a childish name.

"Princess Angelina? What kind of a name is that? Yuffie, can I get another chocobo to ride on?" Rufus complained.

"Um, no."

"Better than the name Dog Food. I would name named this guy Chocozilla," Ace said offhandedly.

"And that's why you fail in life as a human being," Rufus shot back. "Seriously Yuffie, can I switch chocobos or something? Maybe I can ride Dog Food and Ace can take the Princess."

Yuffie stared at John skeptically. "Dude, John. Do you seriously think that Princess Angelina can really hold Ace's weight especially considering that he's like a mini-Dio?"

"Well no. But, why'd they have to name their chocobo Princess Angelina? Why can't it be something strong and manly like 'Warhammer' or 'Bone-crusher'?" Rufus ranted, not paying attention to Tifa giggling behind his back.

"Well John, why don't you tell that to the little girl standing next to you?" Tifa asked coyly.

"Excuse me Mister?" A curly-haired blonde girl asked in a sweet voice.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Rufus asked, bending down so he was eye-to-eye with the young girl.

"Are you the one riding Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third?"

Rufus paused and looked up at Princess Angelina who warked happily nearby. "Um, yeah. I am. And who are you?"

"My name's Dot."

"Well hello Dot. My name's John."

"I like you Mister John. I think you're gonna win. My Daddy won't let me watch the races cause I'm too little, but he let me name this chocobo." Dot grinned widely.

"Oh, so you named this chocobo?"

"Yeah, isn't it a beautiful name?"

Rufus paused. "It's very beautiful, Dot. The prettiest name out there for chocobos. A nice strong name." Rufus said as he cringed. Tifa and Yuffie's constant giggling didn't help the situation.

"I thought so too. Daddy let me name her when she was born. This is going to be Princess Angelina's first race ever. I hope you win tonight Mister. Good luck!" Dot stood on her toes and planted a kiss on Rufus's cheek before scampering off.

"So what were you saying again about Princess Angelina's name?" Tifa smirked.

"Nothing." Rufus blushed as he rubbed his cheek.

"Aw, how sweet! John got a good luck kiss from a cute little girl," Yuffie teased.

Tifa and Yuffie laughed while Ace merely shrugged as he muttered under his breath about not understanding women. Rufus grumbled to himself crossing his arms and purposely ignoring Princess Angelina's love bites on his shoulder.

"Okay guys, enough of the chit-chat. It looks like we're going to be on in a few minutes so let's start getting ready for battle," Tifa said. "Remember, we need to disable his wings. Once we do that we can fight him on even ground. John and Yuffie, I'm relying on you two to take him down, once that happens Ace and I can join the fray. Are we clear?"

"Roger," Rufus and Ace answered.

"Roger dodger!" Yuffie chirped.

The group stayed silent as they rounded their chocobos to the starting line. Colorful hues and lights did nothing to distract them from the mission. Each of them were mentally preparing for the fight and recollecting the various places where Yuffie planted traps on the track. The two rider-less chocobos warked nervously nearby. The other chocobos were fairing slightly better, feeling comforted by the presence of a rider or the effects of drugs. Princess Angelina was the only chocobo to wark excitedly at the starting line, having never raced in the 'Weakest Chocobo' races before.

Outside, bystanders were curious as to why there were four people riding on the chocobos tonight. They watched the screen murmuring with each other or silently praying that neither of the two attractive women in the race got hurt. Leaning against a wall, a certain champion chocobo-racer dressed all in black wished for the painful demise of a tall member of the group who he was scheduled to race tonight.

Viewers watched as the camera showed the intensity in each of the rider's faces. The announcer's voice was charged with anxiety as he gave the audience the details of tonight's race. There was a new entry for gamblers to place their bets on: Chaos. So far the odds were 1 to 10 in favor of him getting killed tonight. Though on the flip-side, a few shady bookies were taking bets for the four-man AVALANCHE team biting the dust. So far odds were 1 to 4.

The buzz of bystanders began to die down as everyone waited in anticipation for the main attraction to arrive. The television cameras showed the hole that Chaos used to enter the race tracks. A newly built metal door was installed next to the hole, programmed to seal the hole with a push of a button. But the spectators weren't interested in the new door; they were interested in the dark being that flew into Gold Saucer with a hungry roar.

The spectators watched silently as they saw the line of chocobos rush forward along the track. The sounds of gunshots and battle-cries echoed off the screen. Blurs of movement flashed almost too fast for the spectators to follow. Chaos bobbed and weaved through the air dodging the bullets and shurikens that nicked his body. He was nearly snagged by a booby-trap that had been set on the ground as the beast ripped through the ropes and wire. The demon swooped down towards Ace and tried to swipe at the teenager. Luckily for Ace, the large board-blade that the teen carried deflected the attack, but it didn't spare him from getting knocked off of his chocobo.

"Ace!" Yuffie shrieked fearing for her boyfriend's life.

Ace grunted as he lay flat on his back before he felt a sharp shooting pain on his left leg and several ropes tying him down to the ground after springing one of Yuffie's traps. He screamed thinking the worse had happened and Chaos had ripped off one of his legs. Timidly, he looked up and saw the dark beady eyes of his chocobo, Dogfood as the dumb beast sat on Ace's left leg and sniffed the boy's dirty-blonde hair in worry. The spectators winced watching the scene broadcast in the betting arena. Seeing a rare opportunity, Chaos tried to sweep down again for either the boy or the fat chocobo, but was blocked by a speeding bullet to the shoulder.

Chaos turned to glare at Rufus who was readying his shotgun for another shot. Before either could execute an attack, Tifa and an angry Yuffie came up from behind Chaos, surprising him with a combination of fists and ninjutsu. The fight appeared to be in favor of the AVALANCHE team. Rufus pulled out the Death Penalty and took careful aim as he watched Chaos fighting between his teammates. The demon sensed the danger he was in and snarled wildly as he attacked the two annoying women.

The events that occurred next were like a blur. Chocobo fluff floated in the air as the two rider-less chocobos ran around in a panic. The spectators held their breath as they watched Rufus squeeze the trigger on the large rifle. Chaos was trapped between Tifa's kicks and Yuffie's shuriken. Someone was going to fall tonight and everyone knew it. In the split second it took for the bullet to reach its target, Chaos had somehow grabbed one of the panicked chocobos and used the poor beast as his shield. Maintaining his grip on the chocobo, he swung wildly at Tifa and Yuffie before throwing the animal at Rufus. In the moment of confusion, Chaos took that brief opportunity to fly out of the arena grasping his injured shoulder.

Outside, a few spectators cheered as they watched Chaos fly away through the hole as the metal door shut behind him. Several others ripped their tickets in frustration, resigned to the fact that they had lost another round of betting. Against the wall, Joe snorted in disgust hoping that his rival would have at least been hit by the chocobo thrown at him. The black-clad man walked away to the stables to make a few more adjustments before the start of his race.

On the racetracks, the AVALANCHE members were licking their wounds after the small victory they achieved. A medical team had already dragged the injured Ace away on a stretcher while mechanics sealed the metal door shut with blowtorches. The chocobos were being led away by their handlers who calmed them down with a few greens after their exciting night. Yuffie was frazzled looking back and forth between running to look after her boyfriend and making sure that the clean-up crew didn't accidentally set-off one of her traps. The plan wasn't a complete success, but it wasn't a failure either.

"Well, it looks like we were only able to chase him away. At least there weren't any casualties." Tifa said as she surveyed the damage.

"No casualties? What about poor, You Should Be Shot? Chaos used him as a shield against John's attack. Don't you care about the life of a chocobo anymore? Or how about poor Ace? He could've been killed? What if they have to chop off his leg or something? What's going to happen to him?" Yuffie said in a panic.

"Yuffie, I didn't mean," Tifa sighed. She pulled Yuffie into a hug and held her while the young ninja started to cry. "Shh! Ace will be fine. He's a big boy. You don't want him to see you like this, right?" Tifa cooed.

Rufus stood and watched the two women feeling frustrated with himself. To him, the mission was a failure. He had underestimated Chaos's speed and agility. His shots barely hurt the monster and though he saved Ace from an early death, Chaos was still at large. Rufus kicked the ground in agitation. "Fuck!"

"John, calm down! You have a race you need to get ready for and it's not going to help if you're pissed off." Tifa shouted. She was still holding Yuffie keeping the young girl from breaking down, she didn't want to have to deal with another emotional teammate. "Things could have gotten much worse than they turned out. I should know."

"Sorry about that. I'm just so angry at myself," Rufus sighed. His face softened with concern when he thought about whether Ace was seriously injured and seeing Yuffie's grief over it. "How's Yuffie holding up?"

"I'm fine! Yeah, I'm fine." Yuffie said waving her hand around as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do. Her words and gestures did nothing to convince her teammates, but the fact that she was pulling herself together was a good start.

Tifa wanted to stay with Yuffie a little longer to make sure the young girl was fine, but one of the Gold Saucer employees needed her to give Dio a report on the situation and then they needed to clear the track for the upcoming race against Joe. There were too many things running through Tifa's mind. Was Ace going to be alright? Was John mentally prepared for his race? Would Yuffie be okay?

"Yuffie, I'm going to go on up and report to Dio." Tifa smiled at the girl. "John, do you think you'll be ready for the race?"

Rufus nodded as he pursed his lips in concentration. Somewhat satisfied, Tifa left the racetrack glancing back every now and then before exiting the area completely.

"Yeah, take care Tifa. I need to like, disarm all those traps and stuff." Yuffie sniffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Rufus remembered the plan he developed for his race with Joe. Quickly collecting himself, he walked over to the ninja. "Hey Yuffie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"What?" Yuffie asked as Rufus bent down to whisper something into her ear. Her depression slowly lifted and her face brightened as she listened to her friend. By the end of the conversation, Yuffie had a twinkle in her eye and a grin that would put make any conniving thief proud. Someone was going down.

_(break)_

"So Jagger? Where're we headed to?" Shorty asked.

"I don't know and I don't care."

Jagger wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. After having his pride stomped on by a middle-age woman no less, he wanted to get as far away from Fort Condor as possible. He had tried venting his frustrations on the local wildlife, but that didn't help quell the pent up rage. Jagger was near the boiling point and if he didn't find a release soon, he would explode.

"Hey Jagger!"

"WHAT!"

The man near the back of the pack paused before finally speaking again. "I see a bunch of people over there and was wondering if we could take a break and check it out or something," the man's voice faltered.

Jagger looked over to where the man was pointing and saw a large crowd gathered around a certain spot. He raised his arm up and slowed his bike as the rest of the Red Riders stopped and stretched their legs. The crowd itself wasn't interesting as Jagger thought they were only pilgrims. However, what peaked his curiosity as well as his gang were the mounds of gifts and offerings that were piled nearby a large burnt pile of wood. Food, jewelry, wine and flowers taunted the tired bikers. Jagger's lips curled up in a predatory grin. It had been a while since the Red Riders had had any real fun.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Jagger asked his gang.

"Yeah!"

Jagger smirked as he turned his bike towards the crowd. "Red Riders, let's roll!"

The bikers whooped and walloped as they took out their weapons and rode towards the crowd. The screams of panic echoed across the plains as the pilgrims ran off in different directions trying to avoid the pack of men. Jagger relished in the pain he was causing as he swung his baseball bat around striking people relentlessly. The fresh scent of blood and gasoline filled his nostrils as the sounds of anguish mixed with the sputter of motorcycles sang in his ear. It was absolutely horrifying and Jagger smiled.

Glancing at the pile of gifts, he smirked seeing that some of his men were already picking through it like children at a candy store. Shorty had found some bottles of vodka lying in the pile and tossed one over to Jagger before helping himself to the loot. Jagger took the vodka graciously as he gulped the burning liquid down. He looked around the plains to see a most of the pilgrims had run off or had been beaten within an inch of their life. There were a few brave people huddled together standing defiantly in front of the burnt heap. Jagger glared at them as took large calculating steps closer.

One man stood forward and spoke with fear evident in his eyes. "Please don't desecrate the sacred grave. You can take the offerings if you want, just ask your men not to destroy the grave."

Jagger shook his head as he proceeded to walk forward. "We would have taken the goods even if you didn't ask. And by the way," Jagger said in a low voice. He quickly grabbed the man by the collar and raised him up high in the air. "No one bosses around the Red Riders."

"Hey, what about those Wuta--" One of the more incompetent members of the gang was about to say before Jagger threw the poor man he was holding at his gang member.

The remaining pilgrims huddled closer together in front of the grave staring wide-eyed at Jagger. Jagger merely sneered at them as he got into their faces.

"So who's grave are you pathetic people protecting, huh?"

"Cl-Cloud Strife, sir." A woman meekly replied.

"Cloud Strife? What the hell did he ever do?"

Jagger pushed the woman aside to look at the grave. What he saw marveled him as he drowned out the voices of people telling him about the savior of the world and destroyer of Sephiroth. In the middle of the burnt pile of wood and flesh was the most beautiful sword he had ever laid eyes on. The blade was a vibrant blue crystal fitted to a dark silver handle covered with ancient markings. The brilliant blue glow hummed, practically luring his body closer to the grave. He moved forward as if in a trance stretching his hand closer to the object of his desires. Stepping on top of the burnt rubble, he frowned seeing the handle grasped tightly in the fingers of the burnt corpse. Reaching forward, he began to pry the sword away, oblivious to the negative energy circling him.

The winds howled as the biting frost crackled around him. It was as if the planet itself was trying to tell Jagger to stop his lunacy, but Jagger didn't listen as the glowing blue crystal enchanted him. The light was intense as it surrounded the burnt embers of the man the pilgrims were worshipping. Jagger finally loosened the sword out of the corpse's hands and watched as the glow slowly dissipated, as if it was asleep. The chilled wind whipped around him as if it was trying to blow the sword away from the man, but Jagger ignored this. All he cared about was the crystalline sword that he was not going to see go to waste being worshipped by a group of pilgrims. Though the glow that attracted him to the sword had now vanished, it was still beautiful.

After the trance was over, he finally felt the tugs of the pilgrims pulling on his arm. They were begging him to return the sword. He didn't want to return it. The sword was his now and no dead man had any use for it. The sword suddenly started to hum and a red hue formed around the crystal blade. The ancient writing on the hilt glowed momentarily as if the sword were waking up. The color swirled around inside the crystal as red overpowered blue and darkened the once brilliant blade. Jagger watched the change with morbid fascination ignoring what was going on around him. The air crackled with negative energy, swirling in heavy tones. Then something in Jagger snapped.

In a sweeping motion, he swung the sword down and marveled at how the man in front of him split in two so easily. The drops of blood swirled with the red glow in an enticing blend of raw energy. Jagger lifted the sword and swung it over and over and over again. He tore through the crowd caught up in the frenzied lust for death. He couldn't hear the screams of panic or pain. All he could hear were the sounds of the blade ripping through flesh and bone. The splatter of warm blood soaked his skin drenching his black leather vest. He felt electrified. A part of him came alive as he sliced through the air cutting up anything and anyone in his path. Jagger had developed a taste for blood and he was addicted.

Gazing at the bloodied plains, he marveled how things looked different when they were coated in a sheen of red. It had started raining a few minutes ago, but Jagger didn't even notice as he watched the red dissipate with the falling rainwater. A few of his gang members gazed at him warily as they heard him cackle. His laughter soon rose until it filled the plains as the sounds of thunder rumbled in the sky.

"H-hey, Jagger? You okay man?" Shorty hesitantly asked as he stood a safe distance away from the blood-soaked leader.

Jagger took a deep breath as turned his attention to his lackey. Shorty winced under Jagger's gaze. "I think things are looking up for me Shorty. Things are looking way up." Jagger grinned, watching the sword pulse with a wicked glow before fading to a dull maroon.

_(break) _

The betting arena was again filled with eager gamblers waging vast sums of money on a 50/50 chance of hitting it rich. A majority of the gamblers placed their bets on the undefeated champion Joe and Teioh as a surefire win. A few risk takers decided to bet on the underdog John and Mortius, hoping that they might strike gold. Squeezed into the small security booth, Tifa and Yuffie sat next to Ester who was talking over the radio making sure that all the details for the race were set. The young ninja was busy typing messages to Ace through her PHS while Tifa watched the six different television screens relaying the images of the two racers waiting patiently for the start of the race.

"I'm so nervous Yuffie, do you think he'll win?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie didn't even look up from her phone when she answered. "Of course he'll win Tifa. John's the good guy and Joe's the bad guy and as we all know, the good guys always win."

"Yeah, I guess." Tifa sighed as she turned to Yuffie. "So how's Ace holding up?"

"His leg is broken in two places. The last message he sent said that there's nothing else wrong with him besides the broken leg and the breaks were clean. Aw, isn't he so sweet! He just messaged me saying that he wants me to be his personal nurse and that I would make the cutest nurse ever!" Yuffie squealed as she continued typing messages on her phone.

Tifa smiled watching the love-struck girl. "That is cute. Are you sure you don't want to be by his side right now? I think I can handle things down here."

"Oh, don't worry Boobs! I wouldn't miss this race even if there was a one-day sale on rare materia." Yuffie said with a twinkle in her eye. "You might want to pay attention to the monitors now. The race is gonna start soon."

Deep within the gold-plated confines of the Gold Saucer, two men sat on their chocobos consciously ignoring each other. The air was electrified with tension. Even the two chocobos could sense the conflict between their two riders as they occasionally hissed at one another. The sounds of spectators roared through the speakers spread out through the track. But the noise was only like a faint buzzing to the two men preparing themselves for a fight. Rufus eyed Joe suspiciously with disdain. He wished he had his shotgun so he could blow the smug look off of Joe's face.

"Ready to lose?" Joe smirked.

"I'm not the one who's gonna lose." Rufus glared at the man before he whispered in a low voice only Joe could hear. "I know Teioh's secret."

Joe stared at Rufus with a startled expression. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Even if you do know this so called _secret_, do you have any proof? I highly doubt it."

Rufus glared back. _I don't have any now, but I will._

Both racers maneuvered their chocobos to the starting line. The room was filled with excitement ready to teeter over the edge. Both could barely hear the cheering of the crowds or the drone of the announcer's voice. Neither moved or even breathed until the sound of the starting gun fired through the air and the pair sprinted down the race track.

The two chocobos pumped their legs up and down briskly, almost flying as they sped down the track. They were neck-in-neck during the first leg of the race. Joe and Rufus glared at each other, focusing all their energy into beating the other. Occasionally, one of the chocobos would inch forward a bit more than the other, but that lead would shortly be erased as the other would take lead. The pattern repeated itself over and over again throughout the first half of the race.

Joe turned his head to Rufus and smirked as if he knew something that his competitor didn't. The champion chocobo-racer briefly checked his watch and pushed a few buttons before the chocobos made it to the mid-point of the race. Rufus watched impassively as Joe pulled Teioh forward steadily increasing the lead he had. Rufus knew that this was going to happen. Smiling to himself, he kept Mortius moving at a reasonable pace making sure to conserve some energy for the final stretch. Fans cheered as Teioh pulled forward gaining a solid lead. In the security booth, Tifa bit hard on her lip in worry.

They were now crossing the rickety bridge leading up to the final stretch. As Teioh reached the bridge, Joe felt their speed decrease slightly thinking the uneven logs were proving to be troublesome to cross. Their speed gradually picked up again and Joe had a triumphant gleam in his eye. He took the time to look back and see how far his opponent was trailing him, but was shocked to see blue-eyes glaring back at him as Mortius slowly closed the gap between the pair. Joe scowled and checked his watch again. Seeing the translucent track up ahead, he focused on pushing Teioh to the limit so he could cross the finish line first. It never occurred to him that there was a reason why Mortius was catching up to him or that the sounds of the crowds had died down to an eerie silence. All Joe was reaching for was the finish line and that was all that he got.

Jumping off of Teioh, Joe walked up to Rufus who had crossed the finish line only a second later. "Looks like I get to keep my title as the undefeated champion and I win the rights to Sabina."

Rufus dismounted Mortius with a smirk on his lips. He looked at Joe impassively as he pointed down at Teioh's feet. "I think you ought to reassess that claim."

Joe gazed down at Teioh's feet and felt his jaw drop at the sight. The animal's feet had broken ropes and wires hanging off of it as well as a bear trap snapped tightly around Teioh's left foot. There were even shurikens stuck onto various parts of the chocobo's legs. Traces of a dull gray metal could be seen shining through the large bird's black legs around the sharp teeth of the bear trap while Teioh warked nervously. It was in this moment that Joe finally noticed the lack of the cheering crowds or chocobo handlers rushing forward to congratulate him on a job well done. Instead, he was greeted by the shocked gazes of the spectators and the two frowning faces of Dio and Ester rushing onto the track. Ester raced past Joe heading towards Teioh while Dio grabbed Joe by the collar and lifted him up in the air.

"Boy, you have a lot of explaining to do," Dio seethed.

Joe held his hands out in front of him, his feet kicking helplessly in the air. "Look Dio. It's not what it seems. There's a perfectly logical explanation for everything."

"I don't think so Joe!" Ester said. "You implanted mechanical legs made out of titanium onto Teioh. You should know more than anyone else that that's illegal."

"You've been cheating for years in the races, haven't ya boy?" Dio asked tightening the grip on Joe's collar.

"What? No!" Joe panicked. "I only did it for this race. Honest."

"Wrong answer!" Rufus said as he stood next to Mortius. "You've had Teioh implanted with those legs for over a year now, maybe longer."

Dio released Joe in shock as the chocobo racer fell onto the floor in a pathetic heap.

Joe coughed rubbing his sore neck before glaring at Rufus as he stood. "And how would you know? None of you can prove it, can you?"

"But I can." Rufus said with a smirk before he turned towards Ester. "Dio, Ester. Up in the video room are a stack of tapes of Joe's races. If you watch carefully, you'll notice Joe checking his watch mid-way through the race whenever Teioh suddenly picks up speed and takes the lead. I believe Joe's been using his watch to control the speed of Teioh's legs."

"That doesn't prove anything. I could just be checking my watch to time Teioh's speed."

"Then how do you explain what happened during last year's spring festival race?" Rufus asked as he crossed his arms.

"It was just another race. The competition lost, I won. What more is there to say about it?"

Ester glared at Joe for a second before speaking. "Joe, you only won because one of the falling logs on the waterfall bridge accidentally fell onto the track and injured the other chocobos. We had to put down half of them because they weren't suitable to race anymore."

"Not my problem," Joe snorted.

"Well, it should have been," Rufus said. "I recommend you review the tape on that race and you'll find that upon careful inspection, Teioh should have been crippled in that race by the falling log but wasn't. Instead he barreled through the log like running through air. Care to explain that?"

Joe stepped back looking around for any means of escape. Finding none, he shrugged his shoulders pitifully. "He's very resilient? Listen, Teioh's still fully functional so despite the circumstances I still think we could come to an agreement and keep Teioh's claim to mate with Sabina. They'd breed some great kids and their legs will be real. What do you say?"

"I think I've heard enough. Ester, take Teioh and keep him locked up in the stables so we can inspect him later. Boy, I'd like you to meet my two new security guards, Mukki and Bubbles." Dio stepped off to the side to reveal two heavily built men wearing nothing but a pink thong, a bowtie and a smile. "Mukki, Bubbles, take this boy away."

"With pleasure Dio," Mukki said as he licked his lips.

Joe struggled to fight off the two burly men, but he was no match. The last anyone had heard from Joe, the former chocobo racing champion, he was seen kicking and screaming while the two bodybuilders dragged him away. Needless to say, nobody missed him.

Rufus breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the ordeal was finally over. He barely heard the sound of two people barreling towards him. Rufus nearly fell over as both Tifa and Yuffie jumped onto him enveloping him in a group hug. Letting the excitement of the situation get to him, he kept both girls in his arms and twirled them around until they were all laughing joyously.

"John that was so totally awesome! Don't my traps rock?" Yuffie jumped off of the man and pounded her fist in the air.

"That was amazing. I never knew that Joe was cheating the whole time. What you did out there was absolutely brilliant!" Tifa smiled.

"Hey, I told you I would win and since he cheated, I win by default." Rufus said as he ran his hands through his hair.

"So I guess it helped to review those tapes like you wanted. It looks like you really found his weakness. But if you knew about it, why did you keep it to yourself until the race?"

"Tifa, men like that should never be treated lightly. They need to be taken down in one fell swoop so to never rise again. Also, if I could do this again, it wouldn't change a thing. Just the look of horror on Joe's face was enough to placate me. Especially when he was dragged away by Dio's," Rufus coughed and bent down to whisper into Tifa's ear. " . . . personal guards."

Tifa held her hand over her mouth and giggled. Her face was flushed with a tint of red creeping up her cheeks. "Remind me never to piss you off. I'd hate to see what torture you could come up with for me."

"Who me?" Rufus tried to look innocent. "Why, I would never think of doing anything to offend an innocent woman like yourself. Of course, unless you have some deep dark secret you're waiting for me to exploit?"

"I know one! She has the hots for--" Yuffie tried to say, but was cut off promptly by Tifa's hand over the young girl's mouth.

"Yuffie!" Tifa screamed, her face even more flushed than before.

The two women bickered back and forth like sisters and Rufus couldn't help but smile. Suddenly his thoughts wandered to the advice Ace gave him before their fight with Chaos and his smile grew even wider as he watched the pair. It was times like these when he could have considered Ace a pure genius.

_(break)_

General Matthews frowned as he read over the reports in his hands. His frown only deepened as he looked at the bald-headed man in front of him. "Are you certain that these are accurate?"

"I got them from Walter himself. He's itching for a fight by the way," Reno answered coolly.

"Tell him permission granted." General Matthews said as he opened a drawer and reached for some files. "I won't be able to give you many men as back-up. From the look of things, morale is very low and I don't want to create a situation where my soldiers end up betraying us in the middle of battle. There is a group of men that I do trust and can join you in the fight, but I think that is all I can offer you."

Reno nodded his head. "Reasonable. I'll have Rude and Elena with me so between us and Walt, we should be able to pull the plug before they get out of hand. It is our job after all."

General Matthews smirked before passing a few files over to Reno. "Here are the files on the men I was talking to you about. They were hand picked by me to form a group similar to the Turks in case the need for them ever arose. As things stand, their talents are going to waste training, but I think you could put them to good use. They'd make great Turks if you feel the time's right for recruiting cause quite frankly, that's what they are."

Reno flipped through the file skimming through the different profiles of soldiers. "Did Tseng know about this?"

"Yes, he knew. He probably never got the chance to tell you about it before he was killed. The group wasn't supposed to officially form until the right time."

"You mean when Rufus got hitched." Reno said bluntly.

General Matthews nodded. "Exactly."

"Did Rufus ever know you were forming a group called 'The Queen's Guards'?"

"No, he didn't. Believe it or not, it was a suggestion from Augustus ShinRa for me to form this group when Rufus turned eighteen."

Reno's jaw dropped. "You mean the old fat bastard suggested this? I thought he hated Rufus?"

"I was just as surprised when I was given the order a few years ago. But Augustus ShinRa certainly gave me a convincing argument at the time."

"Well yeah, I mean it's common knowledge that the families of important people get targeted for kidnappings and assassinations, but Rufus wasn't even dating anyone before he vanished. I don't even think he considered getting married."

"Scarlet."

Reno looked at General Matthews slightly baffled. "Huh?"

"Scarlet, head of Weapons Development. She was the main reason the group was formed." General Matthews stated simply. "Augustus ShinRa may have been a lecherous man, but he also knew which women were dangerous to him and his company. He wanted to preserve the ShinRa name and its heirs and Scarlet was proving to become a danger."

Reno paused as he nodded his head slowly in understanding. "Makes sense. She was trying to get into Rufus's pants and would be willing to kill anyone who stood in her way.

She was too valuable as an employee for him to kill her off. But wasn't she like in her forties or fifties? That's kinda gross."

The General sighed remembering how much easier meetings like this were when Tseng was still leader of the Turks. " Reno, is there any other information or things you need before the start of your mission?"

"No sir. I'll head on out and take care of things. I'll report back when the mission is completed." Reno quickly saluted and left the office knowing that it wasn't time to goof around the General anymore.

He walked down the hall with purpose lettings his aquamarine eyes glint dangerously in the dim lighting. Making his way to the room he and Rude had agreed on earlier, he entered and smirked seeing Rude nod his way and Elena look at him with a confused expression on her face. That expression was short lived as her eyes widened and she pointed her finger at him in an accusing manner.

"You! You dirty little bastard! What the hell did you do to your hair?"

"What? You didn't hear? Rude and I became brothers!" Reno said with a smile as he put his arms around Rude. Rude only looked at Reno briefly before he stared at Elena and shrugged.

" Reno, you have a lot of nerve drugging me and then running off on a covert mission. You'd better have some damn results from your little escapade or there's gonna be hell to pay." Elena slammed her fist on a nearby table.

"Hey save it for the bad guys, Elena. We've got a mission to do." Reno said as he threw the files over to Rude. "Rude, those are the files of the guys who'll be joining us. Go ahead and gather them up and give them a quick briefing. Brief them as if they were Turks. Meet me here in half-an-hour and I'll have the weapons ready for everyone."

Rude nodded his head and walked out of the room silently.

"Elena."

"What Reno! Are you going to bench me on the sidelines or ask me to wear a pink dress to distract the enemies?" Elena huffed, still angry at her teammate. "Or are you going to drug me up again and laugh at how pathetic I am."

"No." Reno smirked as he handed her a loaded pistol from his jacket. "I want you to remember to watch your back. It's an important mission so we have to be sharp. Every shot counts so show me what you've got."

" Reno . . . I," Elena flustered before raising her hand up in a salute. "Yes, sir."

"That's my girl." Reno winked. "Okay, here are the details . . ."

_(break) _

It had been a few days since they had fought Chaos and effectively banished him from the amusement park. Dio had started donating proceeds from Gold Saucer to ShinRa and kept true to his word about not tarnishing Cloud's name. Tifa had a feeling that her business savvy friend John had a hand in that. His victory over Joe was a huge relief to her. Unconsciously, she stroked Sabina's mane as she stood watching the horizon, lost in her thoughts.

AVALANCHE had learned that Chaos was spotted somewhere near Mount Nibel and they were preparing to leave. The mere idea of returning to her old hometown brought a shiver to Tifa's spine. Nibelheim wasn't home for her anymore. Last she visited the place, it felt more foreign to her than any of the other towns she encountered. She wasn't looking forward to seeing it again. Turning to her companions, she saw Yuffie kissing Ace good-bye as the teenager stood on his crutches. The scene was almost too cute for words. She hated to leave Ace behind, but he needed to heal his broken leg and Yuffie didn't need any distractions while they were on their journey.

Tifa closed her eyes thinking back to how long it had been since she started on this adventure of saving the world. She couldn't fathom how things would have turned out if she hadn't agreed to join AVALANCHE; hadn't convinced Cloud to help save the planet; and hadn't promised herself to do everything in her power to rid the world of whatever evil was plaguing it. The sounds of Yuffie's cheerful voice brought a smile to her lips as she opened her eyes. Yuffie waved to Tifa while Ace gave her a thumbs-up. Nearby, the man named John Woolfe stood with a smile on his face and a shotgun slung over his shoulder. At least she wasn't fighting alone. She and everyone else on this planet were fighting to make things right and for that, Tifa was grateful.

"Ready to go?" Rufus asked with a playful look on his face.

Tifa smiled to him and turned to look over onto the horizon. "Yeah, let's go."

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. Life's been, well, life. Thanks to those who are still sticking with this story.


	31. Turks Always Stick Together

**Note: **I do no own FF7

This chapter goes out to Belldandy who has been constantly reminding me to update this story through reviews. **  
**

**Chapter 31: Turks Always Stick Together**

_It could be said that there is only one event in a man's life that he will be remembered for, but that is not the case with two great men who have given their all time and time again. Through their tireless work and efforts, the daunting task of saving millions of people has been accomplished once again. In the dark depths of the earth, two men used their strength to help unite a town and dig a tunnel to the trapped civilians of Midgar. A job that would probably take years for most people has been accomplished in a week._

_"I didn't think we had it in us, but these men are all hearty workers and we had to do what we had to do," says chief engineer and savior of the planet, Cid Highwind. Mr. Highwind's recent marriage to his long time house mate Shera didn't deter him from continuing his work on the tunnel as his new wife was standing faithfully by his side the entire time. He along with Barret Wallace were the first to break through the hardened rock, opening the start of what will be the passage leading out of the trapped city of Midgar. Both men exhibited an aura of confidence and natural leadership abilities in the tunnel. _

_The monumental moment was nothing short of spectacular when Mr. Wallace used his great strength and with one arm dropped a pick-ax onto the rocky wall to breakthrough to the underground city. Shortly thereafter, only the cheers of miners could be heard throughout the tunnel as Mr. Highwind reached through the small hole and shook hands with one of the miners working on the tunnel from the underground city, Randy Lawson. "It's good to see y'all," were the first words Mr. Lawson said to the two men who helped make this tunnel possible._

"I don't recall it happening exactly like that."

"Thomas! How long have you been reading over my shoulder?" Autumn squealed, embarrassed she was caught typing up her article.

"Long enough to know that you left out the best part of the dig this morning." Thomas handed Autumn a hot cup of coffee as he sat down next to her on the hard rock.

Autumn took a quick sip of coffee before grabbing her notebook and leafing through it. "I don't think it would sound as groundbreaking if I put in the words, and I quote, 'Hell yeah, we broke the wall bitch,' unquote."

"Hey, don't forget what happened afterwards. What was it that Cid said again? 'I'll ream your ass if you don't get the fuck out of the way so we can widen this motherfucker,' or something along those lines."

"Yeah, he did say something like that," Autumn rolled her eyes. She had no inkling as to how a sweet demure woman such as Shera married a crude and obnoxious man. "But I can't put that sort of language in my story. Besides, I'm not making anything up in my story, just carefully leaving out the parts that are unnecessary."

"Ah, so I see how you journalists work. You just write things and twist them in a way to give it more flourish and pizzazz. I should know better than to trust someone like you then," Thomas said sarcastically.

"Hey, its not like we make things up you know. I just happen to write in a way that makes the story more interesting. You have to grab the readers somehow you know. And I am staying on this assignment out of the kindness of my own heart." Autumn poked Thomas in the chest.

"I'm sure," Thomas laughed. "But I have some information for you that you can add to the story. The tunnel will be complete within another week and then we can begin evacuating civilians. In the meantime, we're going to start evacuating able-bodied emergency personnel and ShinRa is going to send troops to Fort Condor to use the plains around the area to set up temporary shelters for those who have no where else to go. If we're lucky, we'll probably be able to get some personnel out of Old Midgar today. Once the shelters are set and the tunnel widened, we should be able to accommodate moving the civilians to a safer area."

Autumn typed up the information at the bottom of the article and looked at the page with a satisfied smirk. "Looks like I owe you something for this juicy information. So what will it be today? A nice picnic lunch overlooking the plains? Dinner in Kalm? Or will you be so bold as to ask for something else?"

Thomas shook his head as he gazed into her clear blue eyes. He hesitantly reached his hand out and cupped her face, brushing his thumb along her soft cheek. Autumn couldn't breathe for a second as she felt his touch. She could feel her face reddening and her pulse quickening as she watched him carefully, trying to anticipate what he was going to do. His green eyes were soft with a tenderness she had never seen before and his hands were gentle as she felt him tuck a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Smile for me. That's the only thing I want from you right now."

Autumn's eyes widened as she listened to his request. "Just a smile, that's it?"

"That's it." Thomas nodded.

Autumn blushed as her lips creased up in a shy smile. "You could have asked for just about anything you know?"

"I know. But this is all that I need right now. I'll let you know if there is any more news to report. I probably shouldn't keep you from your work. I know how your editor likes his deadlines."

Autumn nodded as she watched the young executive walk back into the tunnel sparing a small glance her way before he was out of her line of sight. Grabbing the coffee, she gulped the warm liquid to try and calm her nerves. She didn't notice the smile that seemed to be permanently planted on her lips as she finished typing up the article and proofed it quickly before sending it off to her editor.

It had been far too long since Autumn felt this way about a guy. She had been hesitant about getting into a serious relationship with another man since she had her heart broken back in college, but that was a long time ago and she was a much stronger woman now. Besides, Thomas was a very different man from all the other men who had shown an interest in her. He seemed to genuinely care. The soft ring of her computer pulled her out of her reverie as she noticed her email icon flashing on the screen.

Autumn sighed as she decided to leave her ruminations about love for another time. She had work to do and it wasn't going to get done if all she did was sit and daydream. Pulling up the email, she quickly read through the notes her editor gave her as well as snippets from other articles that he thought would interest her. Her eyes skimmed through the articles paying no particular interest to them. At least, until she read one that caused her to gasp.

**"OVER THIRTY PEOPLE MASSACURED IN BLOODY FIELD WHERE HERO CLOUD STRIFE LAID TO REST. STRIFE'S SWORD STOLEN. MURDERER STILL AT LARGE."**

Her face paled as she read the details of the massacre in the article. Autumn felt a foreboding feeling when she read the article. There was something not right about hearing about all those people getting killed in cold-blood near Cloud Strife's gravesite. She had to tell Thomas about this. Something about this story screamed at her instincts that whatever happened on that field was something big and someone needed to be warned; namely AVALANCHE.

* * *

Reno walked back and forth between the four men and eyed them critically. It was a maneuver he had seen Tseng use countless times to intimidate new recruits and unfortunately, it wasn't working. Reno paused in front of the smallest man and glared at him before speaking. The recruit's spiky red hair fell haphazardly in front of his piercing green eyes. 

"Name?"

The man glared back at Reno for a moment before stating his name, "Hearts, sir!"

Reno faltered in mid-step. He eyed Rude who was doing his best to suppress a laugh and Elena whose mouth was gapping wide in surprise. Reno shot the soldier named 'Hearts' a cold stare as he walked up to him.

"Soldier, that has to be the gayest name I've ever heard."

"It's my call-sign sir! It's not my real name," the soldier replied coolly.

"Yeah, we've all got call-signs. I thought it would be neat if we had some call-signs ya know. Thought it would make us more like Turks and stuff." The soldier who looked like a younger version of Cloud Strife belted out as he practically bounced up and down with excitement.

Reno stared blankly at the kid and swore to himself that if the mini-Cloud started wielding a sword, swearing vengeance against Sephiroth and emoting like a cold-block of ice he was going to beat his ass into next Sunday. Luckily for the Cloud look-a-like, so far he was the complete opposite of that. "Okay, so what are your call-signs then?"

"Oh! I'm called Clubs!" The mini-Cloud answered.

A tall man, who could have been mistaken for a young Tseng where it not for his grey eyes, saluted and answered his superiors, "My name is Diamonds."

Reno nodded as he turned to the last man who was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him. The black-haired man gazed up impassively with dark eyes and uncrossed his arms long enough to pull out a cigarette. "Spades."

"Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and Hearts. How creative," Reno sighed.

He stared at the four men selected by General Matthews. He had no doubts about their abilities if their records were accurate. These men were trained to fight and would have no qualms about killing. It was just that they were such a strange group Reno couldn't figure out how they lived in the same quarters without killing each other given their personalities. Clubs was busy talking to Spades who was leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette without a care in the world. Hearts and Diamonds were avoiding everyone fixing their glares at him as if they were sizing up the recently appointed Leader of the Turks. Reno glanced briefly at Rude and Elena who shared the same sentiments; these oddballs would fit in perfectly with the Turks.

"Well, usually we don't officially let new recruits become Turks until they pass a few 'tests'. But since we're in an emergency situation here . . . I'm gonna let you guys slip by for the moment."

"What kind of tests are you referring to?" Diamonds asked.

Rude let a huge grin grace his face as Elena paled as if recalling a horrid memory. Reno smirked like a cat before turning to the four men and asked with a hint of mirth. "When and if you survive this mission, you'll find out. In the meantime, let me introduce myself and my fellow teammates. You can call me Big-Dick, him Mega-Dick and her Dickless."

Elena frowned and punched Reno in the arm. Reno winced and sighed as he shook his head. "Scratch that, her name's really Ball-crusher."

Elena smiled when she heard her new name and ignored the apprehensive looks the four recruits were giving her.

"So, now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, it's time for you all to learn what a Turk really is . . . ."

* * *

"This is a little embarrassing you know?" Mike Lynn groaned as he tried to keep his crutches steady. 

"I thought you always liked being pampered by your own personal nurse?" Tina teased her fiancé.

"Yeah, but not in front of the men! What kind of Captain am I if I'm being held by you as if I were a cripple?"

"Sweetie, you were shot in the stomach saving two ShinRa executives. I think they'll cut you some slack." Tina ran her hands through his messy brown locks. "And if they don't then I'm going to refuse to treat any injuries they might get."

Mike grumbled some inaudible words as he pouted. Here he was the well-decorated Captain of the ShinRa 5th infantry division being dragged through a dark narrow tunnel by his fiancée who was several inches shorter than he was. Not only that, but he was now being coddled by his own comrades as one of his men was carrying his back-pack and another his weapons. The Captain of a platoon should be leading his men out of the tunnel, not trailing in the back because of an injury.

Tina gently rubbed his back turning his attention back to her. "Once we get outside onto more stable ground, I'll let you go off on your own. But you're not allowed to do anything too strenuous to reopen those wounds."

"Yes dear," Mike sighed, but not after turning to face his fiancée with a sincere smile.

After several minutes, the pair finally made it out of the tunnel and felt the warm sun on their skin. The rest of his platoon had already made it outside and were stretching their legs or chatting with a few miners taking a break. Mike took a few tentative steps to make sure the ground wasn't too soft for his crutches to sink into the soil. Feeling safe, he nodded his head at Tina who smiled with encouragement. It never felt this good to be standing out in the wide expanse of nature. Mike glanced at Tina looking to see if she had any objections, but the smug look on her face told him that she was half expecting him to drop his crutches and run through the fields like a little boy. She always could read him like an open book.

"I'm not that predictable, am I?" Mike asked.

"Not entirely. But if it makes you feel better, if you do decide to make a fool out of yourself, I'd be happy to join you," Tina smirked before kissing him. "Now go off and do your thing. I'll be nearby if you still need that shoulder to lean on."

Mike kissed Tina again and hobbled on his crutches towards his men who were waiting and snickering at their Captain. He glared at them for a moment before addressing the soldiers. "Alright men, let's get a move on. It's a good ways until we make it to Fort Condor and these tents aren't going to get pitched by themselves!"

Tina watched her fiancé hobble off with his platoon toward Fort Condor. She was waiting for the group of doctors and nurses who were selected to head the temporary clinic in Fort Condor. She had the fortunate luck of having Doctor Graham recommend that she escort her injured fiancé through the tunnels to make sure he didn't aggravate his injury. Tina blushed remembering the looks she got from the other nurses as they winked at her. True, everyone in the hospital knew about her relationship with the young Captain, but that didn't mean they had to tease her about it.

Though standing out in the open air certainly made everything worth it. She let her eyes wander over the vast landscape seeing a few miners trying to catch her eye. Tina would mischievously wave back at them, making sure to point out the diamond ring glittering proudly on her left hand. Her eyes caught sight of a beautiful blonde-haired woman who was pacing back and forth in nervous agitation. Tina remembered the description Doctor Graham had given her of the grieving family member. It had to be her. Tina took the small black box out of her pocket and hesitantly walked over to the woman.

"Excuse me?"

Autumn paused and looked up as she heard someone nearby. She saw a nurse holding a simple black box staring at her with a mixture of uncertainty and concern. "Yes?"

"Are you the woman waiting for a package from Doctor Graham?"

Autumn gasped and the mixture of surprise and relief reassured Tina that she was speaking to the right person. "Y-yes, I am."

"He asked me to give this to you. He would have delivered it personally, but he won't be able to get out to the surface in a while I'm afraid." Tina handed the box over to Autumn who took it cautiously.

"Thank you." Autumn whispered as she clutched the box closely to her chest. "Is . . . is Doctor Graham doing well?"

"Yes, he's as jolly as ever." Tina laughed and then paused. "I'm sorry about your loss. So many people died when Meteor fell."

Autumn closed her eyes solemnly. "Yes, they did. Thank you for your concern and helping me with this."

"It's alright. I find that any little thing I can do is worth the effort. Please take care," Tina bowed slightly before walking off to give Autumn her space.

Autumn fingered the box with apprehension. She thought that this moment would be one filled with excitement or satisfaction. But somehow it felt empty. Something must have been disrupting her usual string of reactions. It must have been stress and a mixture of the recent events that had occurred. Yes, it was probably stress that was muddling with her emotions.

She opened the box to see if maybe looking at the object would raise some sort of excitement. Her eyes settled on the charred bits of metal. The inscription on the metal could still be deciphered and unconsciously Autumn breathed a sigh of relief. It was such a small thing too, but she knew that with this the world was going to be shocked beyond all reason. It was the proof she had been waiting for but for some reason, Autumn didn't feel as excited as she thought she would. And for the first time since she set foot in the Mythril Mines, she was starting to have second thoughts.

* * *

The cluttered pier was crowded with numerous soldiers on a cool night in Junon. Several men were sitting on the crates or barrels scattered around the area. Bidge calculated that there were probably thirty people out there and this was only the first night of recruitment. If things were to go well tonight, then hopefully the numbers would increase exponentially. He knew that, Knarls knew that and even the self-appointed leader Mr. King knew that. But there was something that Bidge couldn't quite wrap his mind around and all of it involved their new leader, Nick King. Bidge trusted Knarls's judgment and even Hwang seemed to warm up to the man. However, none of that seemed to placate him. 

Bidge was so far lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice that most of the soldiers who were here to join a rebellion had already gone off with Knarls to get situated into their barracks. Weggs was loitering around waiting for him while Nick spoke animatedly with a new recruit. He was sure that Hwang was somewhere with the new recruits testing out their skills, Crass was sleeping in the barracks and Sol, hell he had no idea would Sol would be. Where ever the kid was, he hoped that he hadn't found the stash of naughty books he kept under his mattress. All thoughts of perversion aside, he waited nearby as Nick continued talking to the new recruit.

"Hey Bidge, are you heading on back now?" Weggs asked.

"Not yet. I've gotta talk to the new Boss and ask him a few things."

Weggs eyed him with a bit of curiosity. "Want me to stick around?"

"Nah, you don't have to," Bidge said with a look of appreciation. "Thanks for offering though."

"No problem. I'll see you later."

Bidge watched the rotund man walk back to the barracks in the dark. Looking back, Bidge probably could have had Weggs's company. But he didn't want to needlessly worry anyone and he was reasonably sure that whatever it was that was worrying him was nothing more than paranoia.

When Bidge turned, he found that Nick was finishing up his conversation with the lone recruit. They were the only ones left on the pier now. It was as good a time as any.

"Um, hey Nick can I speak to you for a minute?" Bidge asked, trying to hide his nervousness but failing.

Nick raised a brow looking at him with a questioning look. "Alright."

"So I was wondering . . . Do you really think we can pull off this rebellion? Not that I doubt you or anything, but this is ShinRa we're talking about and Knarls seems to trust you and I trust Knarls so you know . . . frankly speaking I just wanted to know."

"I'm putting my all into this and have sacrificed a lot to get to where I am now. I wouldn't be serious about starting a rebellion if I wasn't going to win. ShinRa is just another kingdom that's waiting to crumble and nothing is going to stand in my way."

That was not really the answer Bidge wanted to hear. "How far would you go to reach your goal?"

Nick looked at Bidge with a calculating gaze. "What do you mean how far?"

"Well, I'm only looking out for my buddies ya know. And since they rely on me for information and such and . . ." Bidge only realized a little too late that he may have said too much as he was knocked down and felt two strong hands wrap themselves around his neck.

"How much do you know?" Nick asked, his voice teetering on the edge of malice and insanity.

In an instant, Bidge knew that his underlying fears were right. The MO was the same, the fact that the woman found murdered bore the same name as the woman on his birth certificate and also the fact that he was being choked to death because he knew too much about this man. Nick saw the realization dawn in Bidge's eyes and squeezed a bit harder. Somehow Bidge managed to flip the slightly larger man off of him as he gasped for air. It only took him a second later to realize that lying on his back with the man trying to kill him out of his line of sight was probably the worst decision he made tonight next to confirming his worst suspicions.

There were many absolutes in the world that people always accepted. The sun would always rise in the East and Weggs would always be a fat man; he'd be his fat man, but a fat man none-the-less. Those were the type of things that in the most desperate of situations, you realized that you'd taken them for granted and in your last fleeting hours of life you desperately clung to those thoughts like a lifeline. If Bidge knew that he was going to go through that sort of pain, he would have never gotten up this morning. But like everyone else, he wasn't thinking about the perpetual wrench thrown into the equation. Absolutes were supposed to be . . . well, absolutes. Of course, there was the one absolute that he always forgot or chose to forget: everyone dies. Getting his brains bashed in by a metal pipe was not the way he wanted to go, not that he had any say in the matter anyways.

* * *

Sol closed his eyes trying to block out the image in front of him. His hands were clamped tightly over his mouth to stifle his screams. Sinking further back in the crate he was hiding in, he hoped beyond all hope that the psychopath with the lead pipe wouldn't find him. He didn't want to end up dead like Bidge. 

He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of a loud splash. Peering out through the tiny crack, he saw a trail of blood leading to the end of the pier where Nick had dumped Bidge's body and was throwing the bloody pipe out into the ocean. Sol didn't know why Nick just suddenly snapped and decided to kill Bidge. He only saw them talking about something then the next thing he knew Bidge was knocked down and getting bludgeoned to death by their newly appointed leader. He didn't think things like this happened when he joined the army. They weren't supposed to happen.

Sol held his breath as he saw Nick walk towards his hiding place. He prayed that he couldn't see him and the guy would walk past him. Fate obviously didn't give a flying fuck about what Sol thought as Nick sat down on one of the crates next to the one Sol was hiding in ever so carefully. The wooden boards creaked and bent under Nick's weight as Sol scooted further back in his crate tightening his lanky body in a ball.

The frightened teen watched in morbid fascination as the murderer wiped his hands clean of Bidge's blood with a handkerchief. Sol was so close to Nick he was certain that he could have reached out and scratched the man's ass for him, which was the last thing Sol wanted to do. Scratching a murderer's ass for them was the sort of thing that got you killed in the first place. Now kissing their ass, that might save your life. But Sol wasn't going to go and try that idea either. He was hoping that staying as quiet as a mouse would pay off and then he could leave this hell hole and give his sister one heck of a story. However, staying alive was top on his list of priorities right now.

The seconds ticked by and Sol still remained balled up in one of the crates trying his best to keep hidden. He couldn't figure out what Nick was doing just sitting on the crates. He had long finished cleaning his hands of all the blood and thrown the handkerchief in the ocean. Now all Nick was doing was staring at the trail of blood left on the pier as if the blood would suddenly jump up and do a little dance for him. Though chances were Nick was really thinking of a way to cover up his little deed so no one else would know what happened. It wouldn't do for the leader of an army to kill off one of his men and have everyone know about it. Morale wouldn't be the same.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream echoed through the night as Nick jumped up and looked behind him towards where the barracks were located. Sol nearly wet himself when he heard the sound and kept his eyes on Nick hoping that the man would not decide to hide in a crate like he did, especially his crate. By some stoke of luck, Nick ran down the pier out of his line of sight. The sounds of gunfire and more screams filled the night air and Sol found himself unable to move.

He sat rooted in his spot listening to the sounds of men dying. Sol kept his eyes forward, landing on the bloody trail of Bidge's blood. He could only imagine the sort of bloodshed that was occurring behind him. He didn't even know what sort of vicious battle was going on, whatever it was he hoped it stayed there and didn't stray towards the pier. Sol would never openly admit to anyone, especially his sisters, but deep down he was a coward. He joined the army hoping it would bring out some courage in him and it had helped. Of course, he was still afraid to die.

Behind him the sickening sounds of death grew louder. Sol's breath quickened as he realized that if he choose to flee now, he might get caught in the approaching fire-fight, but if he remained intact the fire-fight might catch him in the middle with nothing to protect him except some dilapidated crates. He decided to go with the lesser of the two evils and waited. The sounds of gunfire steadily drew near and Sol's heart beat rapidly, thundering in his chest. Was he making the right choice? Would it be better for him to run out into the open screaming like a raving lunatic and hope that no one decided to make him target practice?

The next thing he knew, he saw a man stumbling on the pier holding a hand to his bloody shoulder. He stumbled and slipped on the blood left behind by Bidge, coating the man's clothes until he was a bloody mess. The man was panting heavily looking wildly at anything and everything around him. Sol saw him fumble with a heavy plank of wood lying on the ground. The injured man held the plank to his body closely trying to seek some comfort or protection from it. His eyes widened, looking down at someone or something coming from the direction of the barracks.

"Hey man, why'd you runaway? We were only getting started." A deep voice said with a tinge of amusement.

Sol's eyes widened as two men in familiar dark blue suits walked up towards the man. He had only heard of them, but no further than a few feet away were two members of the infamous group: the Turks.

The injured man pointed the wooden plank at the two men. "Stay back! I mean it!"

The blond-haired Turk frowned at the weapon and shook his head. Before Sol could even blink, the Turk had kicked the plank out of the man's hand and throttled him to the ground with a foot grinding into the shoulder-wound. "Dude you fuckin' retard! Did you really think you could hurt us with a stick?"

The dark-haired Turk casually walked up to the man on the ground and squatted down to blow some smoke into his face. The Turk flicked a bit of ash on the man's forehead then pulled out a shiny black gun from his jacket. The blond Turk dug his heel a little deeper into the poor man's shoulder eliciting a small yelp. Taking a drag out of his cigarette, the dark-haired Turk stood up as he pointed the gun straight at the man's face.

"Why? Why me?" The injured man gasped as he stared down the barrel of a gun.

"Because you decided to betray ShinRa." The dark-haired man replied before pulling the trigger

The other Turk frowned as he kicked the dead body of the man. "Aw man! Now I've got bits of dead guy staining my pants. Gross!"

"That's your fault for standing so close to him when I blew his brains out, idiot." The Turk replied holstering his gun.

"Well . . . well," the taller Turk stuttered to think of a comeback. "You're a cold-hearted bastard!"

The other Turk quirked an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "Look who's talking. We're both in the same profession you dolt."

"Yeah, I guess we are. Say, why do we have to kill everyone anyway? I mean, a few of these guys look like they were just chillin' ya know. We don't even know if this guy was even part of the rebellion."

"Remember what Reno said? We're the exterminators and they're the cockroaches. If you don't stomp them all out then they'll only multiply and comeback stronger than ever. Turks are here to maintain the order and strength of ShinRa. Having a loose roach around will only make the company look bad."

"Yeah, I guess so. Never thought that my first day as a Turk would be so . . . gross." The blonde man said with disgust as he tried to wipe the blood off his pants. "Ugh, I hope these stains come out."

The black haired man shook his head and sighed. "You're pathetic you know that. Come on. Let's go see how everyone else is doing."

"Hey, what about the body?"

"Don't worry about it. There's going to be some made-up story about how a bunch of soldiers went bonkers and started killing each other over some shit or another."

Sol watched as the two men walked off the pier laughing to themselves. The dead body of the man on the pier stared back with a haunting gaze as blood seeped out of the hole in his head. His ears burned with the words that the Turks had said. They were out to kill him and they didn't give a damn whether he was innocent or not. He needed to get out of here, he needed to find shelter, and most importantly, he needed to contact Autumn.

* * *

Diamonds punched his opponent in agitation as he looked over at his partner. She had just finished reloading her gun. With a swift kick, Diamonds knocked his opponent down and sent his heel crashing down on his windpipe in a deathblow. Most of the men he was fighting were amateurs and this task was so simple it caused him to sigh in boredom. 

Elena looked over at her partner and pressed her lips together in agitation. The new Turk had been moody ever since he was assigned to work with her. Sure the guy looked a little like Tseng and was very attractive, but he was acting like a complete jerk.

"If you're done staring at my face, I'd like to proceed to the next room," Diamonds said curtly.

Elena frowned. "What the hell is up with your attitude?"

"Nothing much, just disappointed that my skills as a Turk are being undermined by my _female _partner."

In a quick flick of the wrist, Elena pulled her gun and pointed it straight at Diamonds' head. "I'll have you know that I earned by right as a Turk the long and hard way. Don't think for a minute that just because I'm a woman, I can't kill or be a Turk along with you boys."

Diamonds glared at Elena unperturbed by the gun pointed at his head. "You wouldn't shoot me. I can tell from your body language. Your fingers are too relaxed around the trigger and your shoulders are shaking in anger as if what I've said is true. Also, the way you look at me tells me that you have some sort of fond attraction to the way I look and if I remember correctly, you were once involved with the former leader of the Turks who I seem to resemble. Your overly brave front is just a way to try and impress me so you can get into my pants sometime later down the road. Am I correct?"

Elena narrowed her eyes at the man. He returned her glare with equal force and watched in amusement as she suddenly tightened the grip on the trigger. With a fluid motion, he smacked her arm away hearing the gun discharge far away from his face. What happened next surprised him as he felt her push him to the ground.

"Idiot, get down!" Elena screamed while knocking Diamonds out of the way.

Diamonds turned in time to see Elena take a bullet in the chest and fall backwards in pain. Turning his gaze to the source of the gunfire Diamonds saw a large built man with brown hair and rough features. Diamonds immediately recognized the man as Captain Karl K. Knarls, skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well as firearms. And currently Knarls was pointing his gun straight at him. Diamonds didn't have time to check on Elena or even assess the situation as he jumped clear out of the range of fire.

Hiding behind an overturned table, Diamonds quickly thought over his options. Elena was down and possibly dead. He didn't have any guns on him to fire back at him and the main advantage that Knarls had over him was his gun. Diamonds took a deep breath and pulled a knife out from his vest and listened carefully. Counting to three, he flipped over the table tossing the knife at Knarls, knocking the gun out of the man's hand. They were now on even ground.

"Hm, not too bad for a Turk." Knarls said right before lunging at Diamonds knocking him off his feet. "But not good enough."

Diamonds turned in time to prevent Knarls's heel from dropping down on him. He flipped up and proceeded to assault Knarls with various punches and kicks that the larger man blocked with ease. Diamonds was getting tired and couldn't seem to get any of his hits to land on the man. He knew that Knarls was an excellent fighter from his profile, but didn't know that he was this good.

A well placed kick to the chest knocked the wind out of Diamonds as he hunched over in pain. In that moment of weakness, Knarls found his gun and pulled it off the ground grinning like a madman. Knarls watched the wide-eyed expression of the Turk as he slowly cocked his gun and aimed it at his head.

Knarls smiled wickedly holding the gun in his hand. "Game over."

Two shots rang through the air. The first one hit Knarls's hand causing him to drop his gun and the other shattered Knarls's right knee. Both Knarls and Diamonds looked up in surprise to see Elena glaring down at the two of them.

"You're right, it is game over." Elena said before pulling the trigger and placing a well aimed bullet through Knarls's head. After watching Knarls's body fall, Elena kicked the dead body a few times for good measure. She then turned her attention to her partner. "You okay?"

"How? I saw you get shot?" Diamonds asked.

Elena snorted as she pulled back a bit of her jacket revealing the white cottony fluff where the bullet shot her. "Bullet-proof vest. Rule 29 of the Turk code: Turks always come prepared."

Diamonds smirked and shook his head. "I guess I misjudged you."

"You certainly did. Oh, and by the way." Elena said quickly before punching Diamonds roughly in the jaw. "Though you may look like Tseng, you act nothing like him. Don't think for a minute that I'd ever want to get into your pants. And also remember Rule 1 of the Turk code: Turks always stick together. Next time you leave me for dead I'm going to blow your balls off. Understood?"

"Clear," Diamonds squeaked.

Elena eyed him carefully before retreating back. "Good."

Diamonds held his jaw as he watched Elena walk with a new air of authority as she proceeded to the next room. He had misjudged her and now regretted some of the things he had said. She was nothing like he made her out to be. With a smirk, Diamonds stood up and followed Elena to the next room, much more enthusiastic about working with her and fulfilling their mission.

* * *

"Man, this is just like shooting fish in a barrel." Clubs grinned as he squeezed the trigger on the machine gun one of his victims left. Countless men were falling through the hurricane of bullets raining their way in the cramped barracks. "Now I know why you like guns so much." 

Spades snorted as he balanced his gun in his right hand. "It's more than just the ease of killing. It's the efficiency."

"Whatever you call it this is pretty cool, though nothing takes the thrill out of taking a man's life with your own hands."

In their conversation, neither man noticed the large body of Weggs sneaking up from behind them with tears in his eyes.

"You're killing everyone," Weggs whispered. "Stop it. You're killing everyone. Stop it! You're killing everyone!"

The loud shouting alerted the two Turks who turned their heads slightly never easing their gunfire in the barracks.

"You're killing everyone! Bidge might be in there and you're killing him!" Weggs shouted in hysterics as he ran toward the two Turks intent on stopping them.

Using his left hand to reach into his vest, Spades pulled out another gun and fired five rounds into Weggs body, watching in satisfaction as the large man fell down dead. Spades turned the gun towards the barracks and released the clip on any men who were still alive.

As Spades was reloading the clips on his two guns, Clubs broke the awkward silence. "What do you think that was about?"

"Don't know, don't care." Spades replied before continuing his onslaught.

Clubs shrugged and kept his attention on killing any men in front of him ignoring the dead body of Weggs a few feet away.

* * *

Hwang was breathing deeply. Whoever it was who was chasing him, they were good. He had already seen the red-haired monster take out a few of the more promising recruits with simple and fluid motions. Finally, he found an opponent worthy of fighting. The blood in his veins pumped with excitement as he pulled out his last three knives and threw two of them at his approaching opponent. 

Hearts quickly dodged to the side and reached his hand out to snatch one of the knives out from the air that was aimed at his head. He flung the weapon back at his target and watched as Hwang deflected the knife with another. Hwang was the last one alive, but Hearts would try to remedy that situation soon.

Pulling out a short stick a little under two feet long, Hearts held it up and blocked Hwang's knife attack to his head. Shifting his weight to one leg, Hearts tried to knee his opponent in the stomach, but Hwang twisted around and brought an elbow down to his head. Lurching forward from the impact of the blow, Hearts continued to move and dropped into a forward roll in time to miss the arc of Hwang's blade as he tried to slash him.

Taking the opportunity, Hwang threw his last knife at his opponent aiming straight for the man's heart as he was turning. Unfortunately for Hwang, Hearts had found one of Hwang's stray knives on the ground and threw it at the approaching knife, deflecting it as both knives clanged on the ground far away from the two fighters. Now Hearts had the advantage as Hwang had no weapons and he still had his short stick. The only thing was that Hwang was much better at martial arts than he was with his knives.

Hearts wasn't ready for the onslaught of punches and kicks thrown his way. He barely managed to block some while others made contact with his body. Hwang landed a vicious spin kick to his opponent's head that knocked him down on the floor. Hearts rolled on his back and winced from the pain in his head. His hands tightened the grip on the short stick he held as he saw Hwang lift his leg high to deliver a crushing blow to his ribs. But Hearts wasn't going to have any of that. Using every ounce of strength he had, Hearts pulled the short stick out in front of him and blocked the leg coming for his chest. The attack did successfully break the fingers in his left hand that were pinned between the short stick and Hwang's foot and Hwang smirked down at his opponent after feeling the bones crack under his attack.

The red-haired Turk narrowed his eyes at the opponent standing above him. It was time to end this fight. With his right hand, he pulled out the end of the short stick revealing the kodachi blade craftily built into the Turk's weapon. Swiftly moving his hand in quick succession, Hearts slashed the Achilles tendons on both of Hwang's legs. The soldier fell to the ground writhing in pain as he clutched his legs.

Hearts wiped the blood off his mouth and stood looming over the fallen soldier. Pulling his foot back, he proceeded to kick Hwang in the stomach repeatedly. Then holding the kodachi in front of him, Hearts planted his foot on one of Hwang's arms immobilizing the man.

"Are you enjoying the pain?" Hearts asked sadistically.

"This pain and torment is nothing." Hwang screamed trying to suppress the wince on his face. "I've been through far worse than you can imagine."

Hearts chuckled before opening his eyes wide. "You? Suffer pain and torment far worse than me? Fool, you know nothing about me and you know nothing about pain and torment. But don't worry, when I'm done with you, you will."

The bright gleam of the kodachi shone in Hwang's eyes and his screams filled the night air. No one could fathom what torture the man was going through, but it was clear that he was going through hell and wasn't coming back.

* * *

This was not his day. First he had one of the men in his new army probing him with questions that dug deeper than he would have liked. He knew as he was killing the man that he suspected him of murdering his mother. Then after he had taken care of the body and finally made up an excuse as to the disappearance of the man, Turks he had never seen before were killing all the new recruits to his army. And if he thought things couldn't have gotten any worse, Reno and Rude were chasing him down a dark alley and they both looked like they were out for blood. 

Ducking behind a trashcan, Nick peered down the alleyway and swallowed hard. At the entrance to the alley Reno and Rude were standing in a relaxed position staring in his direction.

"Here Nicky, Nicky, Nicky, Nicky! We've got a treat for you," Reno cooed as he cocked his gun with a loud click.

Rude cracked his knuckles very audibly as the larger man pulled out a pair of brass knuckles.

"Hey Rude. I don't think our friend Nick wants to come out of the alley."

Rude smirked before responding. "They say that the best way to get a cat out of the alley is to send in a dog."

"Hey, that's a great idea! You've got a grenade on you?"

Listening to the Turks conversation, Nick panicked and stumbled out from behind the trashcans waving his hands in the air. "Wait! Don't shoot!"

"Nick! There you are! There's the bad kitty."

Reno said as he inched closer to the man. Nick wasn't sure if the Turk intended to kill him or not so in a last ditch effort to save himself, he got down on his knees and begged for mercy.

"Don't kill me. Please don't kill me. If you keep me alive I can make things easier for you. I have a deal for you two. Do you want money and power?"

Reno and Rude stared at each other briefly before Reno answered carefully. "Money, yes. Power, depends. What kind of power are you talking about?"

"Power over all of the military, police and whatever organization you want if you join me. I can guarantee you many personal freedoms once I'm in control of ShinRa. You want it, you name it and I can give it to you."

Reno turned to Rude and shrugged. "Say Rude, you want anything from this guy?"

"Not much, maybe his body on a hangman's noose."

"That's too boring. I'd personally go for his head on a pike," Reno laughed as he turned to Nick. "So what do ya say? Think you can deliver?"

Nick paled upon hearing the two Turks joke over his death. He backed away in fear and turned around hoping to find a way to escape. Nick slammed into another body and backed up in relief. It was the old harmonica player Crass.

"Crass, you've gotta help me. They're going to kill me. You've gotta do something to keep me alive. Please! I'll give you anything if you just take care of them."

The old man said nothing in response as he jabbed Nick in the stomach and then reached his hands around and twisted Nick's head sharply until the neck snapped in a deadly pop. "I think I prefer Reno's option myself."

Reno and Rude watched as Nick King's body slumped down to the ground in a lifeless heap. The short-term leader of the ShinRa resistance army was now dead and the public wouldn't be any wiser to even the fact that they even existed.

Reno scratched his cheek as he surveyed the scene before him. "Dude, Walt. Not that that wasn't cool and all. But I think General Matthews wanted him alive for questioning."

Walter looked down at Nick's dead body and shrugged. "Oh well."

"So, um . . . what are we going to do now? Lug his body back to headquarters?" Reno asked.

Walter started to lift Nick's body off the ground and shifted the body until he was lying face up with his arms outstretched above him. "Hey, sounds like a plan to me."

"Well if that's the case I call left leg. Rude, you take the arms and Walt, you take the other leg."

The three Turks lifted up the body by the arms and legs and started to haul it out of the alleyway. Reno and Rude felt a bit of pride in working next to the legendary

Walter Crass. Reno, being Reno, couldn't contain himself and decided to add a bit of lively conversation while they carried the body.

"So Walt, how does it feel to be the oldest active Turk in existence?" Reno teased.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't kick your ass you little punk."

"Aw, don't say that. You know you still love me. 'Sides, I ain't gonna be the punk in the group anymore. We've got fresh blood to join the ranks."

"How many?"

"Four."

"They any good?"

"Don't know, haven't seen them in action. They came highly recommended and their records looked sharp. Hey, I wonder how Hearts is doing all by his lonesome?" Reno asked mainly to himself.

"Reno, you let a new recruit work by himself?" Walter gasped.

"Hey, he said he wanted to work alone. Don't worry; the other guys are with a killing buddy so it's cool."

"What if the lone recruit gets killed in action?"

"Um, then we have three new recruits then. Don't worry Walt. The kid looks tough. Just because he has a gay name doesn't mean he can't fight."

"I'm not worried about whether or not the kid can fight; I'm worried whether or not you sent the poor guy to his death on his first mission."

Rude's voice cut through the argument between the two. "Hey guys?"

When Reno and Walter looked over at Rude, he only nudged his head over his left shoulder. Both Reno and Walter looked towards their left to see what Rude found so interesting and gaped as they saw a very bloody and alive Hearts standing over the mutilated body of Hwang whose heart had been cut out and stuffed into the corpse's mouth.

"Ew, now I know why they call you Hearts." Reno twisted his face in disgust.

Hearts looked at his fellow Turks coldly and replied with a shrug. "He wouldn't stop screaming so I had to shut him up."

"Um, yeah. If you could just take care of disposing the body and then head on back to base." Reno ordered. "Normally I'd like the ShinRa clean-up crew to take care of that, but well . . . I think it's a little to gross for them."

Hearts nodded his head in acknowledgement and began to drag Hwang's body away. The three Turks remained silent for the rest of their walk back to headquarters. After seeing a display like that, Walter learned that he would never second guess the abilities of a new recruit ever again.

* * *

Mike Lynn expected that there would be some problems or obstacles around Fort Condor when they were sent to scout out the area and start pitching the first tents. He expected something more along the lines of monsters roaming the area or debris from Meteor that may have reached all the way over here. What he wasn't expecting were hundreds of Wutai soldiers with thousands of tents already pitched and waiting for refugees. 

The small band of ShinRa soldiers looked on in a mixture of confusion and wonderment. When did this happen? Why did this happen? And more importantly, where the Wutai soldiers friends or foe?

An ornately dressed Wutai soldier walked towards the group holding his hands out in a pacifying gesture. "I come unarmed my friends."

Mike limped toward the man and bowed as low as his injury would allow and the soldier responded in kind. "I'm Captain Mike Lynn of the ShinRa 5th Infantry Division."

"My name is Staniv, one of the five warriors of the Great Pagoda and a General to the Wutai Army. It is an honor to meet you. I'm certain you have many questions."

"You could say that General Staniv. My troops and I were ordered to come here to scout out the area and start pitching some tents for the large number of refugees who are about to come out of the Underground City, but then we come across something we weren't expecting. We were wondering what you all were doing here camping out at Fort Condor?"

Staniv smiled warmly and laughed. "I must admit, we may have overdone things a bit. But we've come here through Emperor Godo's orders as an offering of peace and goodwill towards ShinRa. We're here to help the refugees of Midgar rebuild and have already put together shelter for what we hope is everyone."

"Well I'll be. I just . . . never expected this." Mike said with astonishment. "I didn't think that Wutai would help us considering what happened in the past."

"Though there are many of my people who are still bitter about the war between our nations, Princess Yuffie has taught us that it is better to move forward and leave the past in the past. I think Emperor Godo is heeding his daughter's advice and trying to improve relations between the two nations."

Mike smiled and held his hand out in appreciation. "Well then, I look forward to working with you."

Staniv took the hand and shook it as a few Wutai soldiers came over to help make the other ShinRa soldiers feel more welcome. It looked like there weren't going to be any problems working with the Wutai soldiers, but he couldn't help but feel the tension between some of the foreign soldiers. It seemed that there were those who couldn't forget the war between the two nations and Mike knew that they would have to tread carefully.

* * *

The trio of Turks lugged the body of Nick King towards headquarters not minding that they _accidentally_ dropped him on the ground a few times or ran his body into a few walls. The guy got pretty heavy after having to carry him across Junon and hide him from civilians as they had to take the longer, more visible route back to headquarters due to their extra baggage. Once they made it back to base, they put a bit too much enthusiasm into tossing him into the morgue. Now Reno, Rude and Walter were all sitting in the lounge smoking. 

"So how many traditions do you guys still keep from us old timers?" Walter asked in curiosity.

"Well, we still do the triathlon and tonight there are four new recruits who haven't run the race yet." Reno snickered while Rude grinned like an idiot.

Walter chuckled. "It's good to see that some traditions never die. I'll handle taking care of the paperwork while you round up the new kids. Meet you back here in less than an hour."

"Sounds good Walt!"

As Walter was leaving the Turks behind, Elena rounded the corner and waved at the two.

"Hey guys! You have no idea the trouble I had with my partner. What a sexist pig!"

"Dude, seriously?" Reno asked.

"Yes. You should have seen the way he acted when I was working with him." Elena crossed her arms in displeasure.

"But you showed him up, didn't ya Elena?"

"Of course I did!"

Reno smiled. "That's my girl. So how are the new recruits holding up? They all come back alive?"

"Yep. All four. Diamonds sustained a few minor injuries and Hearts had some broken fingers. I thought he had more injuries with all the blood he had on him. But other than that they came back healthy and alive. I don't know where General Matthews found these guys, but they're good. Oh, what about you two? Did you capture Nick King?"

Rude shifted around nervously while Reno scratched the back of his head and looked at anything and anywhere except Elena. "Well, you see. We came across a little problem."

"Problem? What problem?"

"Well, um, ah. Walter, the old Turk who was playing undercover in the group who's on our side and all. Well, he sort of snapped Nick King's neck like a twig and killed him. It was really cool seeing him do that though!"

Elena stared at the two for a moment before answering. "I think if I stop caring about my job, things will get easier. Yes, I'm just going to ignore what you two just said a second ago and carry on with my life."

"Hey, don't worry Elena. Nick was a dick," Reno said with a laugh. "Hey, that rhymed."

"It's okay Reno. I think I'm used to the way things run in the Turks now. Something like this really shouldn't surprise me." Elena said as she nursed the migraine threatening to form.

"Nick the dick. He was a prick. His mama's thighs were too thick. His face made me sick cause I beat him with my stick." Reno said as if he were rapping.

"Reno, I think you ought to quit," Elena said, annoyed with his antics.

"Oh Elena, your rhyme's really slick. It shows we really click."

"Stop that! Just stop that now!" Elena screamed. Silence filled the air as the tension between the three Turks slowly eased.

Surprisingly, Rude was the one to break the silence. "Have you two seen that new flick?"

"Argh!" Elena seethed.

Reno held his hands up in mock defense. "Oh no! Elena wants to hit us with a brick!"

"I should drop kick you both in the head!"

"Elena, kick needs to go on the end for it to rhyme, that's the trick!" Reno smirked as he put his arms around her shoulders.

With a quick shrug, Elena pushed Reno off of her and glared at him. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it as she pouted and then stormed off.

Reno watched bemused by the scene. "Now that's a woman I want to lick."

"You know she'll beat you like a tick." Rude sighed.

"Or like a red neck hick."

Reno and Rude stood staring at each other for a moment before they scratched their heads in an awkward moment.

"Maybe we should end this shtick." Rude suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Reno sighed. "I can't think of something clever with the word wick."

* * *

It was a time of celebration for many differently things: the success of a mission, the start of a new era in the history of the Turks and a time to get completely drunk beyond all capable thought and reasoning. Down in a crowded bar in Junon, the Turks sat together with healed injuries and clean uniforms sharing funny anecdotes about themselves. But the most important reason why they were there was to initiate the four new Turks who recently joined their ranks. 

"Okay, here's the deal kids, you have to drink one pitcher of beer, one strong mixed drink and take one shot of something hard. Upon completion of these tasks you will become a full fledged Turk."

The Cloud look-a-like raised his hand up and asked, "Hey, I've got a question. Do we have to do it in that order?"

"Yes."

"But doesn't beer before liquor make you sicker? I mean, I heard that if you drink liquor before beer, then you're in the clear."

"No more rhymes! No more fucking rhymes!" Elena stood and glared at the blond Turk.

Clubs stared back at her in disbelief and gulped deeply. "Sorry, I won't ask anymore questions. Honest."

Reno and Rude shifted uncomfortably in their chair for a moment. Elena gave everyone a deadly glare before sitting back down.

"Glad that there's at least one person in this group who can keep you guys in line," Walter snickered.

Elena nodded her head in appreciation at the comment and glared at Reno.

Reno loosened the collar on his shirt for a moment before coughing to get everyone's attention. "So, you guys ready for your test?"

All four Turks nodded their heads obediently; afraid of what would happen if they invoked the blonde-woman's ire again. And with that the table was filled with many pitchers of beer that were being handed to everyone at the table.

"Hey Spades! Want to race?" Clubs held his pitcher of beer close to his lips.

Spades stared squarely in the blond-man's eyes. "No."

"Aw, you're no fun."

"Perhaps it's because he's afraid of losing?" Diamonds taunted as he grabbed his own pitcher of beer while Hearts had already started gulping down the amber liquid before anyone had suggested starting the drinking contest.

Everyone stared in mild amusement as they saw Spades visibly bristle. "Fine. But don't come whining over to me when I hand you your ass on a silver platter." The dark haired man sneered before bringing his pitcher close to his lips.

Reno eyed the three with a mischievous smirk. "It wouldn't do to leave your superior officer out of the fun now, would it? Hey buddy? Want in?"

Rude shook his head and pulled out a camera with a smile.

"Ah Rude my man. Brilliant as ever!" Reno grinned. "How about you Elena?"

"I completed my test a while back and plan not to retake it. Besides, somebody's gotta make sure you all get home in one piece." Elena smirked, her mood lightening slightly.

"Kids these days," Walter muttered as he nursed his shot of whiskey.

Elena raised her hand up in the air and eyed the men. "Ready boys?" They all shot Elena a nod in affirmation, except for Hearts who was already half-way finished with his pitcher. The only sounds that anyone could hear were the steady gulping noises Hearts made as he drank. Elena paused and then brought her hand down on the table. "Go!"

* * *

A/N:Yes, I've finally completed this chapter. I know that it was long overdue. My real job had been very demanding these past few months. I even had to stay in NYC for three weeks working long hours. Not fun. Also, life in general has been a bit hectic. I found out recently that I'm 7-8 weeks pregnant! There has been much joy and celebration around the house. 

The next chapter is going to be a tough one to write, but it will feature Tifa, Rufus and Yuffie. I'll try not to take as long to get this one out as I did this last one.

Next Chapter: The Candyman.

BTW, if there is anyone who thinks I need to up the rating on my story, let me know.


	32. The Candyman

**A nice creepy chapter here in time for Halloween.**

**Note: I do not own the rights to FFVII.**

**Chapter 32: The Candyman**

"So where to now, Tifa?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't heard anything about where Chaos might be except that he was last seen heading West. That could take us anywhere though."

"Yeah, and nobody in Gongaga has heard anything about him. Hey Tifa? You don't think he went to Wutai do you?"

"It's possible Yuffie."

The typically loud ninja gazed westward with a somber expression. "Wutai is strong. They should be able to keep Chaos away from the innocent."

"Spoken like a true Princess of Wutai," Rufus said with a proud smile.

"Yeah, well. If they don't then I'm going to go over there and beat some sense into my Dad and all the ninjas." Yuffie said as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Well, if you think we don't need to go to Wutai, where should we go?" Rufus asked Tifa.

"Honestly, I don't know. Chaos could be anywhere right about now. He may even have headed East."

Rufus sat pensively trying to find any clues as to where Chaos might be. He knew that the monster had a penchant for chocobo meat, but there were wild chocobos roaming the plains in every corner of the world. The only other thing that Rufus knew about Chaos was that his host was the former Turk, Vincent Valentine. It was a long stretch, but it might be the only clue to figuring out where Chaos might be lurking. "Tifa, how much of Vincent Valentine do you think is in Chaos?"

"I'd like to hope all of him, but that's impossible to tell right now." Tifa bit her lip in nervousness.

"Well, do you think that it's possible Chaos would head towards somewhere special to Vincent? Is there anything in the West like that?"

"Well, the only towns that are in the West are Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim." Tifa paused as she thought about her old hometown. "We found Vincent in the ShinRa Mansion after he told us his story about Hojo and Lucretia. Lucretia! The Waterfall Cave! John, you're a genius! Yuffie, quick! We head North!"

Rufus looked startled at the retreating figures of the two women. "Glad I could help."

* * *

Rufus had seen many parts of the world from Wutai to Midgar. In all of his life, he had never seen the spectacular glow of the evening sun reflected off of a cascading waterfall. The scene gave new meaning to the words, "natural beauty." It was truly breathtaking.

"You look like you've never seen a waterfall in your life, Cityboy," Yuffie smirked.

"I'm not that sheltered. I have seen a waterfall before . . . just not one like this."

"It is amazing, isn't it?" Tifa said. "I think I was as much in awe as you were. In fact, Yuffie? Didn't you beg Cid for a camera so you could take a few pictures?"

"Yeah, the old fart said that he didn't have a stupid camera on the Highwind. You think with all the high-tech junk on that airship he would have one camera, but noooo! Stupid chain-smoking old fart."

The group walked behind one of the waterfalls only to enter a hidden jewel. The wonderment of the outside of the waterfall was nothing compared to the shimmering crystals of the cave they entered. The trio didn't even know what type of crystals they were, only that they practically lit the room up with their sparkle. Small pools of water shimmered on the ground, reflecting the light in brilliant arrays of color. The cave was small and as the group ventured deeper, they could not find Lucretia.

"Do you think she's still here, Tifa?" Yuffie asked.

"I hope so. I don't know what we'll do if we can't find her."

Rufus knew nothing about the woman and her relationship with Vincent, "Who was Lucretia and what was she to Vincent?"

"I was his lover," a crackled voice spoke behind a large crystal. "Or at least, I used to be."

The team turned to face the speaker and saw the distorted image of Lucretia behind the large crystal. Lucretia slowly stepped out from behind the crystal and Tifa noticed in shock that the young beautiful woman who she had first seen only months before was now an old woman with white streaks in her hair and a haggard face.

"I was afraid that he came with you. I don't want him to see me like . . . this." Lucretia motioned to her face in disgust. "Does he . . . does he want to see me?"

Tifa gazed at the woman with pity as she spoke, "Lucretia, I'm afraid that Vincent may no longer be with us anymore."

Lucretia's eyes widened in horror. "No, it can't be. After everything I did, he can't be . . ."

"Lucretia, we don't actually know for a fact if he's . . . dead. But we suspect."

"What happened? Tell me everything!"

Tifa took a deep breath before speaking. "Vincent transformed into Chaos and hasn't changed back. It happened not too long after we defeated Jenova and . . . Sephiroth. Chaos has been terrorizing the countryside and we're trying to track him down."

"Jenova," Lucretia whispered as she closed her eyes.

The trio looked at her confused.

"Damn Hojo. He put it in him as he did my son and I lost them. Look at me! Look at me! Look at what that alien-bitch has done to me. I used to be beautiful. I used to be loved." Lucretia sunk to her knees and wept.

Rufus turned to Tifa and spoke so only she could hear. "Are you making any sense out of what she's saying?"

"Vaguely. I think that whatever happened to Vincent has to deal with Jenova. Let me handle this." Tifa gently whispered. "Lucretia, what do you mean about Jenova? Is Jenova tied to what happened to Vincent?"

"Yes, it's all her fault. She's the one to blame. Why? Why was I so blind? Why couldn't I get past the fact that he looked so much like his father. I killed them both."

"So it has something to do with Jenova's cells," Tifa mused. "What happened, it has something to do with Jenova's cells, doesn't it? Why? Why were those who were infected with her cells affected like this?"

"Because Jenova's a bitch! I should have found a way to stop her, but I let science get in the way of my instincts. That 'thing' took away my son, my lover and now look at what I've become."

Tifa bit her lip in frustration. She wasn't getting any answers from Lucretia. "Lucretia, I understand you're upset, but I need some answers. We're trying to see if we can save Vincent and stop Chaos. We can't do this without your help though."

Lucretia's crying seemed to subside a bit. "You want me to help you save . . . Vincent?"

"Yes, if you can. We don't understand exactly what went on with Chaos and Vincent or the effects of the Jenova cells. But you do and maybe you can lend us your knowledge."

"Use my knowledge. Yes, I can do that. I can help." Lucretia wiped her eyes. "I can do this. What do you need me to do?"

"Find a way to find and stop Chaos," Tifa said firmly.

The old woman nodded. "I can't do it here. I need my old equipment back in Nibelheim. The town's . . . still there, isn't it?"

Tifa smiled sadly. "Yes, Nibelheim is still there."

Lucretia hesitantly walked towards the trio, avoiding any eye contact. She stepped forward and then immediately retreated back to the cave where she first emerged. The group looked shocked thinking that the woman had changed her mind. But then Lucretia emerged from the back of the cave wrapped in an old sheet covering every inch of her body except for her tired eyes. "I'm ready."

Tifa said nothing as they guided her out of her personal sanctuary for the first time in nearly thirty years.

* * *

One by one the buds fell to the floor. A small pile of young flowers lay lifeless and forever frozen in time on the ground. They would never see the light of the sun or bloom for the eyes of admirers. He was relishing in this joy and making the blooms livelier without the infant buds. He saw the world through his own rose-tinted glasses and nothing to the contrary would make him say otherwise.

Sweet wisps of pinks and violets danced in the wind before him. The children had been warned about his candies and no longer came by to suck on the sugary delights. But flowers; flowers were innocent in their beauty and nature. Everyone loved flowers. He especially loved the ones that were not quite in full bloom. Why? Because he could sit there and snap the buds out of the bouquet like how he was doing now. It was sick perversion of his, but he never did care about what was acceptable.

The people avoided him with good reason. Unfortunately, they had to interact with him on some level since he had been the one to be appointed as Mayor: not by popular vote though mind you. The graying middle-age man sat watching the children playing on the streets in morbid fascination. This was his time, his peak hour. At least until the sweet little cherubs were called home by their overprotective mothers. They were far too prudish for his tastes. It might have had something to do with his reputation back in Midgar. It was only whispers of secrets that leaked out from time to time, secrets that he knew were true but never admitted. Dark secrets swept under the rug of ShinRa's morally corrupt government: just like this mock-up of Nibelheim.

He ignorantly ignored the reasons for their disgust. To see things as they were in reality would mean he would have to wake-up from his dreams. But these were dreams that he couldn't bear to live without. And because of that, he lived in his world of fantasies and make-believe, never to open his eyes to the truth. After all, he had tasted the essence of their butterfly dreams. It was so beautiful and so pure: completely unscathed and innocent. It was a rainbow colored spectrum of sweets and delights dancing in the darkness like fireflies. How could it be wrong when it was so delicious, when it was still so fresh? Things like this were meant to be treasured; sampled before they become too ripe, too old. Candy like this was the sweetest sin to devour.

In the edge of town, the mothers of the town were scurrying to get their children back into their homes, signaling a tidal wave of motherly alertness. He frowned as he watched the little darlings skirt away from his sight. It wasn't past noon yet for the mothers to call their young for lunch. Something or someone had come into town and disrupted the view. He clenched his fists around the bouquet of flowers in agitation, glaring at the town's entrance. What he saw surprised and pleased him: a tall lanky man, a cloaked woman, a young girl and her.

He saw her again. The princess of his dreams had returned. But now she was a queen. Far too ripened and soured for his honeyed tastes. He feared that his picturesque fantasies would shatter like broken glass. Tiny hands were now covered to hide long slender fingers. Pudgy cheeks were thinned out and matured. Baby soft hair turned coarser and a petite frame grew into that of a woman's. The princess was no more than a memory now. Still sweet and lovely, but a memory that he could never taste. The picture promised a young heart perfect for plucking, it promised the doe-eyed youth with the small handmade crown and scepter wrapped like candy in a pink sheet. She was supposed to be his next conquest; she was supposed to become his princess.

But all was not lost in the rose-colored recesses of his mind. For he remembered the violet-eyed young companion. She had youth and vigor. Her face was painted with the smoothness of innocence and naiveté that he wanted to smear. She was edging on the verge of age where it would be too late for him. He missed her once before when he first saw her those months back, but there were more people surrounding her like overprotective mothers. This time, there were only three. Three he could handle. It was time for him to find the sweetest candies in his home to see if the violet-eyed fairy loved treats.

* * *

The town was exactly the same. Houses, streets, the old well and even the type of flowers that were planted in the windowsills. Tifa could see no visible flaw in how Nibelheim was rebuilt. But nothing could duplicate the feel of the town she once knew. This Nibelheim wasn't hers. It was a cheap imitation set to confuse the average person. The eerie feeling she felt the first time she walked through the town gates after the massacre never subsided. It was like the ghosts of her hometown haunted the place, restless over the brutality of their deaths. She would have never returned if it weren't for their quest to hunt Chaos. Lucretia had finally agreed to help. And now here they were, heading towards the ShinRa Mansion where the scientist's research lay buried in the deep recesses of the basement.

Walking past some homes, Tifa felt a sudden chill crawl up her spine. She turned around only to see a few children running home and an elderly man sitting on his porch holding some flowers. The dreadful feeling subsided, but she couldn't help but think a ghost from her past was trying to haunt her.

"I'm sorry," Rufus said suddenly.

Tifa looked at him, confused.

"This was your hometown, wasn't it? I heard the story from Yuffie, how Sephiroth killed everyone in Nibelheim and ShinRa rebuilt the place to cover-up the incident. I'm sorry."

"That's alright. It wasn't your fault."

Rufus winced thinking how wrong Tifa was. Certainly it wasn't his fault directly, but his father had ordered Sephiroth to go to Nibelheim and also ordered the cover-up. He was guilty by association and that in itself was enough.

As they walked into the ShinRa Mansion, Rufus gawked at how run-down the place had become. It had been years since he last set foot in the place, but at least then the roof was still intact. "What a dump."

"If you think this room's bad, wait until you see the kitchen," said Yuffie.

Lucretia looked over the dilapidated rooms sadly as she walked up the stairs to the bedroom with the secret door. Her petite frame creaked along with the age-worn house. The dusty blanket around her made her look like a ghost, haunting the old mansion. She drifted down the halls like she had in ages past. But instead of her light whimsical steps, she walked with a heavy heart soaked in guilt. Each corner of the mansion creaked and groaned in an accusatory manner as if the walls remembered the experiments she took part in long ago. Science had been Lucretia's sin and now she was returning to the heart of the beast.

The group finally made it to a room deep in the underground laboratory. Dust caked the machines and instruments as if the room had been abandoned for decades. A large tube filled with a cloudy liquid stood out from everything else in the lab. Judging from the size of the container, an animal or a human could have been put into the liquid vat and since ShinRa was involved, chances were that the past occupant was a human.

"This place gives me the creeps. What did they do here?"

"This is where Chaos was born Ms. Kisaragi." Lucretia said as walked slowly around the large tube inspecting it. The look in the old woman's eye changed as she examined the lab. It was as if the scientist in her had taken over and stamped out the demure woman from the waterfall cavern. "It looks like everything is in working order, but it will take some time before I can figure out how to stop Chaos and maybe save Vincent."

"How long do you expect?" Tifa asked.

Lucretia turned on a computer and hit a few keys, watching the screen as data flew past. "Hopefully no more than a week. It looks like all my notes are still here. I am a little rusty though, but if all goes well, then just a week."

"Take all the time that you need, as long as you can all the right answers."

Lucretia nodded her head in understanding. Picking up an old lab coat, she threw the white sheet off to the side and donned the coat like a second skin. The woman wasted no time and dove into the work as if it was the last thing she had.

* * *

The group had settled into Tifa's old home. Much to their enjoyment, Tifa and Yuffie stood back and watched John "convince" the previous occupant to give up his charade and turn the house over to its rightful owner. Where John had picked-up his communication skills, the girls could never fathom.

"Hey John, next time I go shopping in the Wutai shopping district, mind coming with me to talk me into some cheaper clothes?" Yuffie grinned.

"Do you even need to haggle for clothes? I thought you stole everything you wore. Heck, don't you even get clothes for free since you're their princess?" Rufus teased as he ruffled her hair.

The light banter earned him a swift punch in the arm. "Baka yaro," Yuffie muttered in Wutainese.

"Yuffie, be nice," Tifa chided.

"Yes _Mom. _Hey _Mom_, can I go out? I don't want to hang around the house all day, _Mom_."

"Do what you like," Tifa threw her hands up in exasperation.

Yuffie quickly shouted her thanks as she ran out the door in a dust cloud of excitement. The young ninja certainly wasted no time in finding something interesting to do.

The martial artist shook her head and turned to her male companion, "I swear, sometimes I think of her as my little sister and other times I just want to wring her neck."

"Just tease her back like I do."

"I can't do that. Someone has to be the mature one in this group."

"Touché," Rufus smirked.

The pair shared a laugh. They had been traveling nonstop for far too long and the break in Nibelheim was a welcome reprieve. Tifa knew that these breaks were a refreshment. She didn't know if she would ever stop chasing things around the world for the sake of mankind. But finally finding some time to rest in her old home felt oddly nice considering her past. At least she could say it belonged to her again. And it was all thanks to the man before her.

"Thank you, John."

"You're welcome?" Rufus looked at Tifa puzzled.

"Thank you for helping me get my old home back."  
"It was yours to begin with. I just had to convince the guy living here to see things the same way."

"You know, this is probably the first time since they've rebuilt this place that I've felt comfortable. It's as if I could close my eyes and remember the times when it was only me and Papa. I'm not even sad anymore as I think about him."

"Maybe reclaiming your house has brought you some peace?"

"Perhaps. You know, they did an excellent job replicating the place. They got the right color on the walls, the furniture and even my room. The old piano up there plays exactly the same like the one I had."

"I didn't know you played," Rufus said in surprise.

"Yep. I've played for as long as I can remember. Though I haven't practiced in years."

"I'm sure you're an expert pianist. May I hear you play?"

"Why not?"

Tifa's room still held a girlish charm to it. The oak piano looked aged as if it were a family heirloom past down from generation to generation. Tifa sat down at the piano fingering the keys, testing the pitch. Pulling out a sheet of music, Tifa studied it carefully. It was the last piece she had memorized before Sephiroth came to Nibelheim. She hit the notes perfectly, but the rhythm and harmony were off. The years of going without practice showed, but her lone audience member didn't mind. He found the music soothing despite the flaws.

"You know, I used to play for all the villagers when I was younger. My Papa would tell me that whenever I played with my window open, people would stop to listen. I wonder if they would still listen to me now," Tifa laughed.

"I think they still would. Even though you're a little rusty, I can tell you put a lot of love into your piece."

"A little? My god this piece sounds awful. I remember when I used to be able to play this in my sleep. Well so much for being the Princess of Nibelheim."

"You used to be a princess?" Rufus said amused.

Tifa paused in her playing mortified. "Oh god, I can't believe I let that slip. It's not like I was a real princess or anything. It was just a name that all the other kids and the villagers called me. You probably think I was a prissy little girl now."

"No, not at all. I think the title suits you."

"I'm hardly princess material. But when you're a 5 year-old, the attention is addicting."

"I bet you made a beautiful princess."

Tifa blushed. "Everyone said I was adorable. At one time, my friends even made a crown and scepter for me to wear. I put on one of my bed sheets as a robe and paraded around like royalty. My father took a picture of me. He told me it was his favorite picture of me from when I was little."

"So should I start calling you 'Your Highness?' from now on?" Rufus joked.

Tifa replied with a cute pout, "No."

"Ah, come now _Your Highness_. Pouting ruins your regal look." The comment earned Rufus a playful punch to the arm.

"God, between you and Yuffie, I don't know who's worse."

"Yuffie, naturally."

"And how do you know I don't think you're more annoying?"

"Because no one is more annoying than Yuffie."

Tifa opened her mouth then closed it quickly. "I guess I can't argue with that."

They both shared a laugh. Tifa smiled fondly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear before turning back to the piano. She closed her eyes and began playing a simple melody she remembered by heart. It was her favorite piece, even if it was an easy one to play.

The song struck a chord with Rufus. It sounded familiar, like a song that he hadn't heard since he was ten. His eyes lit up as soon as he remembered where he first heard it. He stared at Tifa and smiled. So she was the angel dressed in white whom he met long ago. Looking out the window, Rufus recognized the exact spot he had stood as a ten year-old boy looking up into her room. He remembered talking to her and forgetting to ask her name. Now listening to the nostalgic melody, he finally learned who the muse was. Rufus couldn't believe the strange hand fate had dealt him. He had finally found his first friend and coincidentally enough, his first crush.

With a soft smile, Rufus walked up to the piano and sat down next to Tifa. Tifa paused to look at him curiously.

"Have you ever played a duet before?" Rufus asked as he played a few notes of a song.

Tifa nodded with a smile. "I didn't know that you played."

"I guess this gives us something in common," Rufus smirked. "Do you know this song?"

Tifa listened to the piece and joined him in after a few chords. "Know it? I love this song!"

The two laughed as they played, talking about many more things that they shared. Though one of them wanted to share an even bigger secret. A secret that may eventually push her away from him. The closer he got to her, the harder it was to pretend. After all, it was no secret that Rufus ShinRa was one of the most hated men on the planet. The only thing nobody knew was how Tifa Lockheart was going to react once she learned he was the man she was beginning to trust with her life.

* * *

Yuffie Kisaragi was on the prowl. The young teenager jumped from one roof to another with a skill only a trained ninja possessed. Her legs reached out for the black-shingled roof of the next house and with a soft thud, she landed gracefully. Walking over to the edge of the house, she held onto the roof and flipped over landing on the balcony below her. Turning to face a sliding glass door, Yuffie knocked on the glass with a huge smile.

Inside the house, two children quickly opened the sliding glass door and jumped on Yuffie with excitement. "Yuffie! You came back!"

"Hiro! Ami! Did ya miss me?" Yuffie asked as she picked the two children up in a hug.

"Of course we did. It was boring without you," the blond-haired boy said.

"Me and Hiro drew a picture of you, wanna see?" a girl with a mop of golden curls asked.

"I'd love to. But first, do you two remember what I promised ya before I left?"

The two children's matching blue eyes lit up with excitement. "Mount Nibel! Mount Nibel! You're gonna take us to Mount Nibel!"

Yuffie put her hands on her hips triumphantly. "Yep, that's right! So you kids ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Hiro jumped up to grab his shoes.

"But Hiro, don't we need to tell Mommy?"

Yuffie squatted down to Ami's level and said with a wink, "What your Mommy doesn't know won't hurt her."

Ami nodded her head tentatively, gazing up at Yuffie with her innocent blue eyes.

It didn't take long for the two children to get ready to go on a little journey. Within minutes, the two children were hanging into Yuffie as she jumped across the rooftops of their neighbors houses. Yuffie had taken it upon herself to become the two children's fun older sister. The kids were in awe when they first met Yuffie walking on their roof. Since then, they had always asked Yuffie to take them to Mount Nibel since their parents wouldn't allow them to go by themselves.

Yuffie held the children's hands as they walked up the rocky path towards the dangerous mountain. "So guys, what do you want to see or do?"

Hiro shouted with exuberance. "We want to see our Grandma!"

"Grandma? What's she doing up there?"

"Mommy told us that all the angels walk up the mountain to get to heaven. Grandma became an angel last year so we wanted to see if we could find her up on Mount Nibel," Ami answered.

Yuffie remained quiet as she listened to the children. The ninja didn't know what to do. She knew that taking them up to Mount Nibel wouldn't reunite them with their grandmother, but they were already at the base of the mountain. She briefly thought about telling them the truth, but thought better about it. "Well, we better get hiking to see if we can find your Grandma!" Yuffie surmised that letting them explore the mountain and showing them the different sites would satisfy their curiosities enough so they won't become disappointed when they didn't find their grandmother.

The trio took a break on the narrow path just before a steep incline. The two children were animatedly talking about the things they would say to their grandmother when they finally found her. Yuffie looked at them guiltily as she kept her senses alert for any wild animals or monsters. What the ninja wasn't prepared for was seeing another person walking up the mountain path toward the group.

Yuffie turned to face the newcomer noticing that the person was an older man who had a gentle smile on his face. When Hiro and Ami noticed the man, they immediately tensed and quieted down. The man walked closer to the group holding his hands behind his back with an unassuming look.

"Why hello there children. What are you three doing up here up on the mountain?"

"Nothing much old man. Just making good on my promise to bring these kids up to Mount Nibel," Yuffie answered. She turned to the two children noticing how quiet they were.

"So what are your names?" the man asked.

"Oh, my name's Yuffie," she said turning to the two children. She expected them to answer boisterously like they usually did, but they still remained quiet and apprehensive. "Go ahead guys, tell the nice man your names."

Hiro and Ami shook their heads and Hiro whispered into Yuffie's ear, "Our Mommy and Daddy told us never to talk to him."

Before Yuffie could ask Hiro what he meant, the man interrupted her.

"What adorable little children. So shy. I know what will get them to talk," the old man said as he fished for something in his pocket. "How about some candy little children?"

Yuffie half expected Hiro and Ami to jump at the candy the nice man was offering, but the kids remained rooted to the ground looking anywhere except at the friendly newcomer. "What, you guys don't want any candy?"

"Mommy told us never to take any candy from strangers," Ami said softly.

Yuffie, ever the schemer, thought of the perfect way to let the kids have candy without having them break their mother's rule. "How about if I get the candy for you? Do you want that?"

The two children looked at each other confused. "I guess that would be okay."

"Great! Then it's settled." Yuffie cheered.

The ninja didn't notice the huge grin the older man had on his face as he listened to the conversation. Yuffie told the kids to stay put as she walked up to the man to take the candy he was offering. The teenager eyed the beautifully wrapped pieces picking them up one by one as she put them in her hand.

"Did you make these yourself?" Yuffie asked.

"Why yes I did young lady. These are special pieces of candy made with lots of love."

"Cool," Yuffie said and unwrapped a piece before popping one in her mouth without a second thought.

She didn't notice the older man's smile widen with an unnatural glee. As the candy melted in Yuffie's mouth, she began to notice the strange taste mixed in with the sweetness of the delight. Her senses tingled. There was something wrong with the candy. Candy wasn't supposed to cause the feelings in your fingers to dull or to make you dizzy and nauseous. It wasn't supposed to do that unless the candy had spoiled or was drugged. Yuffie's eyes widened as she looked at the man and saw the predatory gleam in his eyes. The kids were right, she shouldn't have taken any candy from this strange man.

The only thing running through Yuffie's hazy mind was to get far, far away from this man and as fast as possible. In a panic, Yuffie grabbed Hiro and Ami's hands yelling at both of them in a raspy voice, "Run!"

And run they did. Up, up, up the rocky terrain of Mount Nibel they ran, breathing hard with fear and weariness. But they couldn't tire because walking at a steady pace the man was following them. He was biding his time forcing them up the mountain path and blocking their way whenever Yuffie tried to steer them towards town. Had Yuffie not been drugged or were she not with two helpless children in her care, she may have been able to get out of the situation without a problem. But that wasn't the case and the first thing on her mind was to keep the kids safe. Her welfare was secondary to theirs.

As the children were running away from the man, the man followed in an amused manner. "Did you not like the candy?"

Yuffie would have shot back a witty remark, but the drugs were drying out her throat. Her skin was starting to feel cold and clammy. At times her vision would blur, but she knew that she could not succumb to the drugs affects. Biting her lip in frustration, she pushed forward keeping a strong grip on Hiro and Ami's hands.

"You children don't seem to like my candy. Perhaps you all like stories instead? All good little children love stories." The man said in a sickly sweet voice. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose grandmother was sick. So she decided to take some food to her grandmother's house."

Ami nearly stumbled along the rocky path but was saved by Yuffie who pulled her up to keep her from falling. Hiro ran ahead pulling Yuffie's hand who looked back at Ami's tired face.

"While on her way, a hungry wolf spotted the young girl and asked her where she was going. The girl told the wolf about her grandmother and how she was delivering some food for her. The wolf, told the little girl that she should bring her grandmother a bouquet of flowers and showed her a beautiful field of flowers."

Pausing for a brief moment, Yuffie scooped Ami up in her right arm while maintaining her grip on Hiro in her other hand. They continued their run with Ami staring wide-eyed in fright at the man following behind them.

"As the girl picked flowers for her grandmother, the wolf raced to the grandmother's house. There, the wolf ate the little girl's grandmother and wore her clothing before getting into the grandmother's bed just waiting for the little girl to arrive."

The children came to a fork in the road and for a split second they paused trying to figure out which way to go. Quickly, Yuffie pulled them all towards the right where the path was more level.

"After the little girl finished picking the flowers, she went to her grandmother's house. When she got there, she saw her grandmother lying in bed. 'Look grandma, I brought you some food and flowers,' the little girl said."

Hiro slipped on a few rocks but quickly picked himself up and kept a steady pace alongside Yuffie.

"The wolf, disguised as the girl's grandmother said to the girl, 'Thank you child. Now come closer and give your grandma a kiss.'"

Yuffie's vision swam as the path looked like a spiraling blur of earthen-brown. Biting her tongue, Yuffie cleared her mind and staved off the dizziness momentarily. Though it was long enough to steer around the multitudes of rocks along the rocky path.

"The little girl came closer to the wolf and said, 'My grandma, what big hands you have.' 'Why, the better to hold you, my dear,' the wolf replied."

A sharp turn to the left and the rocky path widened only to come to a sudden stop. Yuffie had to pull Hiro back with her left hand to prevent him from running over the edge of the cliff.

"As the little girl came closer, she noticed her grandmother's eyes. 'My grandma, what big eyes you have.' 'Why, the better to see you with, my dear.'"

Yuffie swore under her breath as she turned towards the ominous voice drawing closer to where they stood. There were only two places they could possibly go, the first was back down the path where the man was slowly closing in on them or forward where a steep cliff that leading to certain death awaited them. Yuffie frantically looked through her pouch of supplies to see if there was anything that could help them.

" 'My grandma, what big ears you have.' 'Why, the better to hear you, my dear.'" The man's eyes widened as he gazed up on the frightened faces of the trio.

Yuffie pulled both children behind her keeping them shielded from the madman who was slowly approaching.

"Then the little girl's eyes landed on her grandmother's mouth and she said, 'My grandma, what big teeth you have.' The wolf leaned forward to grab the little girl as he spoke, 'Why, the better to eat you with, my dear!'" And with those words, the man broke out into a wide grin before lunging towards the children.

* * *

A gentle breeze ruffled the petals of three wildflowers growing in the rugged terrain. They were hardly ruffled from the disturbance a few feet away as a man lay dying. The flowers couldn't hear the painful gasps as the man reached out for a picture that had fallen out of his pocket. If the flowers could see, they would have noticed that caught in their branches was a photograph of a young girl with brown hair and red eyes dressed like a fairytale princess. But the flowers could not see nor did they care about the broken and bleeding man.

The man saw the picture as his last salvation. With feeble hands he reached: helpless to fend himself away from death's grasp. He could see himself walking through fields of flowers with all the lost children of Midgar. He could hear their laughter as they ran their hands through soft silken petals and stared ahead with innocent eyes. With his last breath he tried to retain his sick illusions. And like a bubble, all those dreams exploded in the throes of death plummeting to the darkest depths of hell, where even the devil feared men like him.

A swift gust of wind blew the picture far away from the grip of the dead man. The flowers were relieved of the obstruction in their branches though the disturbance had bothered them. But they would bounce-back from the disturbance as these flowers were strong. They grew steadfast and would continue to grow for centuries despite the harshest of winters or the cruelest of summers. Not even mankind could stomp out their will to survive. Because they thrived to grow, waiting for their time to bloom.

* * *

A/N: Would you all believe me if I said that I had been working on this chapter since Feb.? I blame my pregnancy for not updating mainly because when I did have free time, I ended up reading my pregnancy book over and over again. Now my time is limited because I have my cute infant daughter to take care of and that takes priority over everything else. I'm not going to even try to guess when I'll have the next chapter up as it all depends on how much free time I have after working, taking care of my daughter, living a real life, etc. I will say that the plot is completely AU from the game after seeing Advent Children and playing Dirge of Cerberus. I'm going to start winding down the story and begin resolving all those loose plot threads. Hopefully I won't miss any because there are a lot. 


	33. Sins of the Mother

**Chapter 33: Sins of the Mother**

It had been a few days since Lucretia holed herself in the underground laboratory. Tifa felt inclined to visit the woman and bring her some food. The scientist was so immersed in her work, she often forgot to eat and sleep. They were relying on her knowledge to stop Chaos so it was only fair that they kept her healthy. Also, the woman was slowly opening up as the days past. It was as if Lucretia had returned to her element and was regaining her sense of self. Tifa found that to be a huge welcome to the cryptic woman they met in the waterfall cave. Vincent had always told her that he thought he was the one to blame for the mess that became of his relationship with Lucretia and carried that burden. But seeing Lucretia in the state she was in showed that Vincent wasn't the only one whose soul was wrought with guilt.

As she made her way down to the laboratory, Tifa found the scientist busy typing on the computer. "Lucretia?"

"Yes?" she answered without looking away from the computer screen.

"I brought you some dinner." Tifa said setting the tray down next to a plate of half-eaten onigiri Yuffie had made for lunch. Thinking about the ninja, Tifa reminded herself to try and talk to her again today. Ever since Yuffie had come home one night shaken and scared, she hadn't acted the same. Tifa hadn't been able to get the entire story out of the usually loquacious girl and only learned from some of the townspeople that Yuffie had been there when the town's mayor fell off a cliff on Mount Nibel. Tifa reckoned that Yuffie still needed some time to get over the tragedy: something that they had while they were waiting for Lucretia to finish her research.

"Oh, I didn't realize what time it was. Thank you." Lucretia finally paused from her work to eat. "Chicken and dumplings?"

"Yes, I made it. It was my mother's recipe."

"It's very good. I only learned how to heat up soup in a can." Lucretia laughed before letting her face fall in disappointment.

"Thanks," Tifa said, nervously clutching the table. "So how are things progressing?"

"Slowly but surely. I haven't quite pinpointed the best way to defeat Chaos, but I'm getting closer."

"That's good to hear." Tifa remained standing close by as she fidgeted with her hands.

Lucretia wasn't blind to Tifa's nervousness as she ate quietly. The older woman gave Tifa a few minutes before she broke the ice. "Is there anything you need?"

Tifa paused thoughtfully before answering. "I had some questions I wanted to ask you, if it was alright with you."

"It's about Jenova's cells, isn't it?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I vaguely recall you asking me about it a few days ago when I wasn't quite myself. I apologize that I was too emotional to answer your question then. But these last few days have been . . . calming. Hojo was more of the expert on Jenova, but I have some rudimentary knowledge so what was it that you wanted to know?"

"I wanted to know how is it that those affected with Jenova's cells have died or become weaker after we defeated Jenova? Why did some people die and others didn't?"

"It's complicated and I don't completely understand how it works, but having experienced the effects of Jenova's cells on my own body, I can deduce what happened if not the why. When Jenova's cells are injected into a person, the person's body either accepts them or rejects them. If the person rejects them, then the cells become dormant and eventually are removed through the body's immune system. However, if the body accepts the Jenova cells, then Jenova's cells take over the body. The body's normal cells still function and age, but they are put in a sort of stasis as they are pushed back by the alien cells. It's like a parasite invading your body and taking control."

Lucretia paused as she looked at her wrinkled hand. "After taking a few cell samples from myself, I learned the horrible truth. Those who accepted the Jenova cells weren't entirely human anymore. Yes, they were biologically human, but Jenova had taken over their cellular structure that affected them. Increased strength, heightened senses, quick healing and the ability to halt aging entirely; those are just some of the affects the cells had on their victims."

"So you mean that Cloud and Vincent would never age?" Tifa paled.

"Why do you think it was that Vincent looked so young or even me for that matter? I hate to say it, but it's true. Cloud wasn't aging and as long as he had the alien cells in his body, he never would."

"But what happened to him after Jenova was killed? His body just kept on bleeding from a wound that suddenly appeared. I don't understand."

"I honestly don't know Tifa. I can only tell you what I know based on my own personal observation and hopefully that will give you your answers," Lucretia said sadly. "When Jenova was killed, somehow all of her cells died with her. Biologically, that shouldn't happen, but these are alien cells we are dealing with. After the alien cells died the body's normal cells returned, but not without some consequences.

"As I stated earlier, the body's normal cells still aged, but they didn't regenerate. With Jenova's cells gone, the body's normal cells returned to their functions instantaneously. Whatever state the body's cells were in is what the body returned to, only older. So if you once had a scar that disappeared with the introduction of the alien cells, that scar would return when Jenova's cells left the body. If you were twenty, going on sixty, then once your normal body's cells took over, they would all age to make you sixty."

"So it's possible that Cloud was injured before he was injected with Jenova's cells?" Tifa interrupted.

"That may very well have been the case."

"Do you think we lost Vincent then?" Tifa asked with hesitation.

Lucretia closed her eyes sadly before responding. "Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I should have known when I first heard about what happened. I suspected all along because I saw the state Vincent was in before . . . before Hojo gave me his body. Vincent wasn't really alive when Hojo injected him with Jenova's cells. Her cells combined with my last gift to him were the only things keeping him alive. And it was all because I let Hojo inject me with Jenova's cells to experiment on my son Sephiroth," Lucretia ended bitterly.

Tifa nodded dumbly, not sure what to think about Lucretia's explanation. She was never schooled in science so had to take the woman's word. She felt a bit relieved to gain some sort of understanding as to what happened to Cloud and Vincent. But a part of her also couldn't help but feel angry at the woman. She had let the mad scientist Hojo experiment on her unborn child creating Sephiroth. In a way, it was Lucretia's fault that Sephiroth turned out the way he did. If it weren't for Sephiroth, Cloud could still be alive. That anger made itself apparent as her gaze steeled against the woman who birthed the planet's most notorious monster.

"You hate me, don't you?" Lucretia asked as she looked Tifa in the eye.

The younger woman faltered for a moment before answering. "A bit."

"I certainly made many mistakes. You're probably asking yourself, 'how could a woman condemn her lover and let herself and her unborn child become part of some perverted science experiment?'"

Tifa was quiet unsure of how to answer.

"I won't blame you if you think that way," Lucretia said. "I was a scientist first, than a woman. My feelings had nothing to do with the experiment and didn't belong there. Of course, I was foolish back then. I still probably am."

"So you regret what you did?"

"Yes. A part of me didn't want to go through with the experiment, but that part was drowned out by the prospect of bettering mankind with my knowledge. There isn't a day that I don't think back to how things should have been. My pride as a scientist got in the way. Now look at me. I'm still tinkering away in the very field that doomed the man I love."

"But if you loved him so much, then why did you do it? Why go through with the experiments and even go so far as to put Chaos inside him?"

"I wanted to save him. If I hadn't gone with Hojo, then he would have been fired or worse. Hojo was insanely jealous and talked of using him for his experiments. I tried to prevent that, but failed. When Hojo shot Vincent and injected his body with Jenova's cells, I was devastated. Hojo's experiments on Vincent were killing me on the inside. I couldn't bear to watch as Hojo used his body like that. By the time I got around to him, it was already too late. Vincent's body was already deteriorating and Jenova's cells weren't doing enough to stop the decay. The stupid man had killed Vincent before he even got a chance to inject the alien cells into his body. So I did the only thing I could to save him. I gave him Chaos. If I hadn't put Chaos inside him, he wouldn't have lived. In the end, all I ever did was hurt him."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was so complicated."

"It shouldn't have been. If I was a wiser woman, I would have stayed with Vincent, but he just looked so much like his father, I couldn't . . . I just couldn't give him everything he wanted. I trusted my instincts as a scientist more than I did a woman. In hindsight, what I did to him was cruel."

Tifa silently agreed. Vincent had suffered and it was all because of love. Tifa had no words to help console Lucretia. It looked like she was suffering from the guilt of her actions as much as Vincent did when he was alive. It truly saddened her to see the painful aftershocks of their tragedy. Lucretia had certainly paid her due because regret was a hard pill to swallow

"It's late, I should get going," Tifa said softly.

Lucretia remained silent as she remained staring at her tea. Before Tifa could leave the lab, the older woman stopped her. "Tifa, a word of advice if I may?"

The younger woman paused.

"Never doubt your feelings as a woman." Lucretia said as her eyes surged with the understanding of pain.

"I won't, I promise you that." Tifa answered, appreciating the advice.

The two women shared a secret smile with each other as they came to an understanding. Tifa was not going to make the same mistakes that Lucretia had and even though she knew she could never have a chance with Cloud, she wouldn't let his death ruin her future with another man who was slowly easing his way into her heart. She only hoped that this time, she would be able to get the chance to express her feelings before it was too late.

* * *

Squeeze the trigger. Bang! Aim, squeeze the trigger. Bang! Rufus repeated the same series of steps a few more times until all the cans he had lined up on top of the fence were lying on the ground with bullet holes in them. The small pistol Tifa had found in her parent's old bedroom must have been leftover from when the ShinRa operative left the house in a hurry. It was a standard issued gun with an eight round cartridge: very simple and effective, but not as powerful as his shotgun or Vincent's Death Penalty. Still, it was always fruitful to be skilled in firearms of varying weights and sizes.

Walking over to pick up the various cans on the ground, he heard a small rustling behind him. Turning quickly, he relaxed after seeing a blond-haired boy walking in Tifa's backyard. The boy watched him with an awe-struck expression in his blue eyes. Rufus looked at him nervously. He hadn't really dealt with kids before so wasn't sure what to do around them.

"Um, hey!"

The boy didn't say anything in response, but eyed Rufus carefully as if he was scrutinizing him. He kept a good distance between them: close enough to see what Rufus was doing, but far enough away to run off if he felt threatened. Watching the boy curiously, Rufus set the cans up on the fence and walked a good distance away. The boy ran back to hide behind a rose bush, keeping his eyes on Rufus the entire time. Turning to face the cans, Rufus reloaded the pistol, aimed and then fired eight times. Each shot hit its intended target spot on.

"Whoa! Cool!"

Rufus smirked after hearing the boy voice his astonishment. As an added flourish, he twirled the pistol around his index finger a few times before stopping it only to blow the smoke off the end of the barrel. Looking over to where the boy was, he was surprised to see the boy gazing up at him with pure and utter reverence. Rufus ShinRa wasn't the type of person people hero-worshipped.

While reloading his gun, Rufus spotted a rusty bottle cap on the ground and had an idea. He picked the bottle cap off the ground and held it out for the boy to see. Watching the boy, Rufus flicked the bottle cap up in the air and then fluidly shot it without even taking his eyes off the boy. The boy stared in wonderment as the cap fell to the ground with a hole shot perfectly through the middle.

Rufus put the gun away in his holster and bent his knees so he was eye level with the boy. "What's your name kid?"

The boy looked at Rufus with a hint of distrust. "You first."

Rufus paused for a moment. The boy was scared of strangers, he could tell that much. He needed to gain his trust before he could really talk to him. "I go by the name John. But that's not my real name."

"Why not?" The boy asked slightly confused.

"Because I don't really like my real name. But if you tell me your name, I'll tell you what my real name is? How does that sound?"

The boy looked slightly curious, but nodded his head in agreement. "You first."

"My real name's Rufus, but call me John because I like that name better. How about you?"

"My name's Hiro. I like my real name so you can call me Hiro."

"Okay Hiro. So what are you doing hiding behind the bushes?"

"Nothing," Hiro responded while eyeing the gun attached to Rufus's holster. "Is it hard to shoot that?"

"You mean my gun. Yes, it is hard. And it's not the sort of thing that a young kid like you should touch. It's too dangerous."

"Says who?"

"Says your mother probably. I don't think she'd appreciate it if I gave you a gun."

"She doesn't have to know. I only want to try it out."

"Sorry kid. Unless your mother tells me it is okay, all you can do is look."

Hiro scrunched his nose in dissatisfaction. "Yuffie would probably let me hold a gun. She gave me these."

Rufus stared at the two small round objects in Hiro's hands. He had no idea what the young ninja gave the kid, but knowing her, it must have been dangerous. "What did Miss Yuffie give you?"

"She told me they're smoke-bombs!"

"Why did she give you smoke-bombs?" Rufus asked carefully.

Hiro averted his eyes from Rufus's gaze. "If I tell ya, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die," Rufus said as he mimicked the gesture.

The boy looked around to make sure that no one else was around before he crept up to whisper into Rufus's ear, "It's because of what happened up on the mountain."

Rufus had heard about that incident. Apparently Yuffie and two kids had witnessed the mayor of the town falling off a cliff. He didn't realize that one of the kids was Hiro. Yuffie had been very quiet about the entire affair. He and Tifa didn't try to push her into telling them what transpired, but they could tell that it was traumatic. Rufus couldn't even fathom how hard it must have been for such a young boy to have seen what he had. "I think I understand where you're coming from Hiro."

"So, will you show me how to shoot a gun?"

"A gun isn't a toy and I really don't feel comfortable having you hold such a dangerous weapon," Rufus sighed.

"But how am I gonna protect my sister?"

Rufus looked Hiro in the eye. He could see the determination in the young boy. It was the same kind of determination that was a precursor to greatness. "Tell you what. I'm going to teach you something else. It's something that will help you protect your sister, but won't be so dangerous that your mother would get upset over. Does that sound good to you?"

Hiro's eyes lit up with elation. "Yeah!"

"Come on Hiro; let's get started on your training."

* * *

She was a weapon, a seasoned warrior, a force to be feared and a force that knew the utmost kindness. She was a protector and a fighter. She was an honorable ninja of Wutai and so long as she was around, no harm would come to those incapable of defending themselves. This she swore to herself for those are the words that Yuffie memorized a long time ago, but have forgotten. A few days ago, she remembered.

Her view from the roof of Tifa's house gave her the best view of the town. She could see Ami sitting with her mother learning how to sew. Hiro was pestering John in the backyard where she couldn't see, but she trusted John so she didn't worry about him. If anything were to happen, John could handle it. Plus, she had given Hiro her leftover smoke-bombs. In all the years she was learning the fine art of ninjutsu, she never thought that she would have to use it like she had.

Yuffie wrapped her arms around herself a bit tighter. Even though she had somehow grabbed both Hiro and Ami before that man could and had blinded him with a smoke-bomb, a part of her couldn't help but think of the 'what if.' What if she wasn't fast enough, if her ninja reflexes hadn't kicked in . . . if she hadn't been so naïve and childish taking the kids up to the mountain that day?

With a sigh, Yuffie took a few deep breaths to relax. There was nothing to learn from ruminating recklessly on past mistakes. The only lesson she needed to know was never to do something like that again. And so she sat atop the roof overlooking the town. She was the shadow, she was the light. She was the watcher in the night. She was Yuffie Kisaragi, Princess of Wutai, AVALANCHE member and savoir of the world. She was all of this and so much more, because Yuffie had learned to accept her role as an adult.

* * *

Cid and Barret were quiet. That was never a good sign. A part of them wanted to jump on the Highwind and scour the world until they found the person behind the brutal crimes. Another part knew that they couldn't leave until they were finished with the project of getting everyone out of Old Midgar safely. They were in a quandary and they hated it.

"Where did you say this nutcase was last spotted?"

"My sources tell me that the gang was spotted heading west. There have already been countless warnings for civilians to avoid a motorcycle gang running rampant. My editor has made sure to put those warnings on the front page, Mr. Highwind," Autumn said as she read her notes.

"I'm not worried about people running into the crazies, I'm worried about the crazies running into the people. Barret, know where Tifa is?"

"Talked to her not too long ago. She and her posse are in Nibelheim. They found Vincent's ex-girlfriend and she's fixing to find a way to stop Chaos," Barret sighed rubbing his brow with his calloused hands. "She knows what's going on. Took it better than I thought, but she knows."

Cid nodded his head. "She's a tough girl I'll give her that. She'll be fine."

The larger AVALANCHE member grunted in acknowledgement.

Thomas interrupted the older men's silent musing. "Are either one of you going to go to help her in case she runs into the gang of murderers and grave-robbers?"

The two AVALANCHE members turned their heads to meet the worried looks of both Thomas Wheeler and Autumn Noval. "You kids don't know Tifa like I do. The girl's got more balls than me probably. Tifa's gonna be fine. Highwind and I wouldn't be here if we didn't. 'Sides, we're both here to help get those people out of Midgar. As much as I'd like to run out there and shoot down the bastard that had the nerve to disrespect Cloud like that, I know that we've got a job to do."

"Damn Barret, that was damn near philosophical," Cid said reverently.

"Fuck you Highwind!"

Thomas turned to Autumn and gave her an uneasy smile. "Thanks for telling us about the attack on the plains. I know that it really means a lot to both Cid and Barret to hear about what happened to Cloud's burial site."

"Oh, it was nothing. I know that you all have been busy with work so I thought I'd let you know what else was happening in the world since the newspaper hasn't started recirculation here."

"Autumn, do you think the world will ever go back to normal after everything? I mean, after we evacuate everyone out of Old Midgar and transfer them to Fort Condor, will they be able to regain their lives again? What's going to become of Midgar? What do you think will happen?"

Autumn stared into Thomas's green eyes and felt a part of her hoping that whatever happened, it would involve him in her life. "I honestly don't know Thomas. All I know is that human beings have always done their best to survive. History shows that we always find a way to pick ourselves up again."

The sandy-haired man smiled faintly with hope. He stepped briefly away from the group to gaze upon the blackened wreckage of Midgar. The once proud symbol of civilization was nothing more than a glorified junk yard of death and corruption. Thomas was both honored and ashamed to say that he had worked in that city. "Do you think that something like this will happen again?"

"I hope not." Autumn wanted to sincerely say that it wouldn't. But she also learned from her studies that history had a tendency to repeat itself.

"Then I guess that means that we need to make the best of what we have, right?"

Autumn whispered a 'yes' as she saw the undying resolution in his eyes. As Autumn stood there watching Thomas standing proudly in the breeze, she couldn't help but think that she was witnessing the birth of a great man. She knew from when she first met him that he was special somehow. Though her heart swelled with pride for the man, a part of her was also afraid that this was only the start of something between them. She didn't know if it meant that they were going to become closer or eventually drift apart. The only thing that Autumn knew was that either prospect was absolutely terrifying to her.

Autumn rubbed her fingers over the indented metal in her pocket. She hoped to find some sort of comfort from the darkened piece of metal she was given by Doctor Graham. She carefully traced the engraving, letting her thumb rub the surface with a gentle caress. _Jonathan Adacus ShinRa_: that was the name forever etched into the metal in her pocket, the name she pursued for so long after hearing about some of ShinRa's darker secrets. This story was her pride and joy, the prodigal child she bore from her hard work and determination. She had finished writing the article and emailed it to her editor along with pictures. It would probably be featured on the headlines of today's paper. But now, she wished she had deleted the damn thing before she could send it.

The selfish part of her wished that there was no Midgar, no AVALANCHE, no mass-murdering creep on a motorcycle running amuck and most of all: that John ShinRa never existed. The selfish part of her wanted only Thomas and her in this world where neither one had any obligations. And even though Autumn hated to admit that she was a selfish person, even she knew that this was no time to think about impossible fantasies. With those thoughts in mind, Autumn excused herself as she went back to her camp and hoped that she hadn't made a decision she would eventually regret.

* * *

Tifa clutched the phone in her hand as she sat down in the kitchen. The familiar sting of tears threatened to spill, but she would not let them fall. She was the leader of this group and she could not show any weakness, especially in light of another threat roaming the planet. The selfish part of her almost wished that when Holy was summoned, it did remove humans from the planet as Bugenhagen theorized. The fleeting thought was pushed aside because Tifa was stronger than to indulge in selfish fantasies. Not when so many people were depending on her strength.

She decided. They were going to patrol the plains around Nibelheim to make sure that the motorcycle gang wasn't around the town. Lucretia still needed some time to figure out how to defeat Chaos and it would do the team no good to wait around for trouble to knock on their door when they could go and greet it.

What Tifa didn't realize was at very same moment, a single article written by a woman thousands of miles away was being read by people everywhere. And in those words, the trust of the people was being broken. The government in Junon was halted to a standstill as they pondered the repercussions of what this new information would do to hinder the rebuilding efforts. Many shook their heads in displeasure, knowing all along that ShinRa was and had never been up to any good.

While elsewhere, a man with dirty-blond hair that was covered in blood read the article and smirked. A darkened crystal blade lay at his side pulsing with dark energy. The remains of those who once called him friend and leader were scattered about: bleeding, dying. All killed by him and the twisted blackness in his heart. The darkness enveloped him and whispered seductive thoughts of revenge. Those same whispers that told him that those people on the plains deserved no mercy, the same voice that warned him of his gang about to steal the beautifully dark sword he acquired and the same evil that twisted his mind into that of a monster among men.

"Looks like I found you Johnny. Looks like I finally found you."

* * *

A/N: Wow, it only took me more than 6 months to update. I had been working on and off on writing. My excuse: my baby is so much more engaging and interesting than writing fanfiction. But hey, it's a legitimate excuse.


	34. Who's John ShinRa?

**Chapter 34: Who's John ShinRa?**

The stale stench of liquor and sweat permeated the confines of the small bar. It was a mixture of stress and exhaustion poured out into each glass that people drank to forget. But the group of Turks weren't here to drink their worries away after a hard day at work. They were here in a celebration of acceptance, because that night the Turks were at their strongest ever.

"So this one time I took three shots of tequila, the next morning I woke up with a cat in my bed," Clubs said teetering on the edge of becoming completely plastered.

"You mean a pussy?" Reno asked.

"No, no. I mean like a cat, cat. You know, that goes meow. So anyway, I wake up with this cat in my bed and I don't know where it came from and the next morning I start calling people up asking, 'Hey, why did I wake up with a cat in my bed?'"

Spades interrupted Clubs with a tired drawl, "Why don't you just get to the point and say that you stole one of your neighbor's cats and found out your neighbor was a hot babe and ended up with more than just one pussy cat."

"Man, I wanted to tell that story!"

"So you and the babe still together?"

"Hell yeah boss-man! I got a picture," Clubs scrambled through his pockets to show everyone.

Reno practically drooled at the picture. "Nice rack."

Elena rolled her eyes at the comment. "Men. You guys are all the same."

"What, a man has got to appreciate the goods. I won't complain if you check out _my_ goods, if you know what I mean," Reno winked.

"You are such a pig. I can't believe you are going to be the one shaping the future of the Turks from now on."

"Sorry to say Elena, but things haven't changed in the many years I've been a Turk," Walter interjected.

Elena looked at Walter flatly. "So I'm going to have to put up with things like that for the rest of my life?"

"Afraid so."

"Hey! I'm not a pig! I'm like, a total gentleman." Clubs said as he fumbled through his shirt. "Here, look at the rock I'm gonna give my girl!"

Reno whistled in appreciation. "That must have cost a pretty penny."

"You're actually going to propose? Do you think she'll say yes?" Spades asked.

"Of course she will."

Walter watched the exchange with a concerned look on his face. Rude and Elena also gave Reno worried glances. Reno merely watched the new recruits talking animatedly about their personal lives with a stoic look on his face. They were thinking of Turk Code number 53: no personal attachments.

Elena took a deep breath and smiled apologetically at Clubs. "Hey Clubs, I hate to break it to you, but there's a rule in the Turk Code."

"Fuck the Turk Code," Reno interrupted, slamming his hand down on the table.

"You know the rules Reno. What are you going to do about it?" Walter asked curiously.

Reno pulled out a copy of the Turk Codebook and doused it with heavy liquor before replying, "this." Reno flicked his lit cigarette on the book and watched it crackle and burn in finality.

Elena watched the scene in disbelief, "You can do that?"

"He is the new leader of the Turks," Rude said.

"I take all that I said back about you being a pig. You're okay."

"Does that mean I get to pet your pussy cat?" Reno leered.

"Ew, no!"

The new recruits watched the exchange in confusion and puzzled over the burning book. Diamonds was the only one who had sobered up enough to say anything. "Um, I know that you guys are talking about something important here, so what did we miss?"

"Nothing that you young-uns need to worry about. You all can keep on talking about marrying your pretty girlfriends and planning on how many kids you want to pop out," Walter said with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"Are you sure, cause I thought Elena was going to say something about the Turk Code. And you know, since we're now Turks, we gotta know the Code, right?"

"I know two of them. Rule number 29: Turks always come prepared. And rule number 1: Turks always stick together."

"Hey not bad for a new recruit. Looks like we found someone who actually talks more than Elena does and someone who's willing to listen to what she says," Reno pointed to both Clubs and Diamonds.

"Reno!"

Walter looked at the group with fondness, remembering the days when he was a young recruit. He couldn't recall off the top of his head the number of years he had served as a Turk, but it was much longer than Reno had been alive, that was certain. Walter had seen the organization grow and stagnate with the traditions that were seeped into the codebook from a different time and a different world. Those sorts of restrictions were obsolete now, especially given the tragedy of Meteor and the Weapons. It was comforting to know that Tseng has put the Turks in the right hands. As rough around the edges Reno was, he symbolized the changes that the organization needed. One could argue that it was ironic how a group that specialized in the darker shade of life desired personal liberties. That things should be black and white; murderers had no morals. But there was always the grey. And no one knew grey better than a Turk.

"Crass! Thank god you're safe!"

Walter turned with a shocked look as he faced the speaker. "Sol? What are you doing here kid?"

"Nick, the guy's crazy. He killed Bidge and dumped his body in the ocean. Not only that, but the Turks are after us now. I saw them killing a bunch of the new recruits that Nick and Knarls rounded up. We have to get out of here and tell someone what happened. My sister can help us, she's got connections."

"Sol, calm down. We don't have to do anything right now," Walter said uneasily.

"No, we have to get out of here Crass or we're going to get killed. I saw them, I saw . . .," Sol paused as his eyes landed on two men. One with blond hair wearing a blood-stained Turk suit and one with black hair who had the same passive look on his face when he put a bullet through a man's head. "Oh shit."

Rude put his hands down harshly on Sol's shoulders. "Loose end?"

"Afraid so," Walter replied with remorse. "So Reno, what should we do about the kid?"

"Man, I'm too drunk to do this right now," Reno said as he rubbed his temples.

A shrill ring from Elena's phone interrupted the conversation as she took the call. The call did not look pleasant as her face paled. "Reno, you've got a call and it's from Reeve. He sounds pissed."

"Reeve, pissed? Now I know I must be drunk off my ass. What's he want?"

"I think you better hear it for yourself," Elena said as she handed him the phone.

Everyone sat the table quietly watching Reno. His expression gave nothing away. The only sounds that could be heard were Sol's heavy breathing as he watched on in panic. Reno shut the phone off and then rose from his seat to stretch. "Well, that sure sobered me up."

"What's the situation?" Rude asked.

"Someone leaked info on John ShinRa."

There was a steely silence before Clubs interrupted it with a simple question. "Who's John ShinRa?"

"Rufus ShinRa's body-double and also half-brother," Elena answered.

Clubs looked on confused. "So, that's bad?"

"Of course it is you idiot," Spades said as he smacked Clubs over the head. "Who would want to trust the government who has so many cover-ups, scandals and corruption in it?"

"The worst has yet to come. In a few hours millions of people are going to wake-up reading about it in the newspaper. I'm sure it'll be hot fodder in the news too."

Elena gave Reno a worried look. "Who leaked the information?"

"Can't say for certain who leaked it, but I'm sure the reporter who wrote the story can tell us. Rude, think you can find info on a chick named Autumn Noval?"

"No need to do that," Walter said standing up and putting a hand on Sol's head. "Folks, meet Sol Noval. Younger brother to Autumn Noval, reporter for the _Junon_ _Star_," Sol swallowed hard trying to keep a brave face, but it was difficult doing that when there were eight Turks staring at him. "So are you just going to kill me now?"

"Can I do it?" Hearts asked sluggishly raising his hand.

"If we need to I'll be sure to keep you in mind. But right now we've got to keep the kid alive, right Walt?" Reno smiled.

"Yep. Looks like we have a bargaining chip now. If it's okay with you Reno, I want to handle this one."

"Hey, seniority rules. Newbies! I want you guys to watch a master at work."

"Sweet! We get to do covert stuff!" Clubs said as he stumbled out of his chair in excitement.

"Well, Clubs really has your enthusiasm Reno," Elena mused. "Oh My God! Clubs is like if you looked like Cloud Strife. It's almost as if you two had a kid!"

"Dad!" Clubs said as he opened his arms out to Reno who was hitting his head on the table in a mixture of laughter and horror.

"And Hearts looks like Reno, but acts like Rude. He's like your love child."

"Hear that Rude, we have a son!" Reno pointed at Hearts who was looking at Elena as if she had grown a third head.

"And Diamonds is like if Tseng were twenty years younger, but with a huge stick-up his ass."

"Hey! I resent that!" Diamonds paused for a second before adding, "I mean, only the stick-up the ass part."

Elena continued. "And Spades is like a mini-Vincent Valentine, but even more emo."

"Whatever," Spades replied taking a drag out of his cigarette.

The Turks all laughed over Elena's observations. The only one in the group who wasn't laughing was Sol. The poor kid had no idea what the Turks were going to do to him. Whatever it was, it was not going to be good.

* * *

The cat was out of the bag. She was certain that everyone on the planet who subscribed to the _Junon_ _Star_ were waking up to some startling news. It was a definite scoop and the accusations were wild, but not without precedence. Good news came from the things you least expect and the best news came from the impossible. They were catalysts for change and beacons of light signaling that life was in motion. At least, those were the thoughts running through Autumn's mind as she sat waiting for the inevitable. She was steeling herself for a confrontation she did not want to have. But she was only doing her job; no one could fault her for that.

"What is this?" Thomas seethed as he ran into her tent and slammed a newspaper on the table. The makeshift table cracked under the pressure as her coffee mug tipped over and spilled over the headlines. The words 'Who's John ShinRa?: ShinRa conspiracy to cover-up that Rufus ShinRa still alive?' blurred, mixing with the bitter liquid.

"It's the morning paper," Autumn said flatly, trying to hide her trepidation.

Thomas threw the paper on the floor. "What do you think you're doing?"

"My job. I'm a journalist, I report the news."

"Do you have any idea what sort of chaos this might cause? We're in a volatile situation Autumn, we don't need to add any more fuel to the fire."

Standing up to face Thomas, Autumn raised her voice in anger. "Well, since you're one of the higher-ups in ShinRa, maybe you can tell me whether or not there was a conspiracy to hide the identities of some of Augustus ShinRa's heirs? That it's possible that Rufus ShinRa, the sole surviving heir to the ShinRa empire, might still be alive? Of course, unless there are more illegitimate children out there? Tell me what right does the current government; does President Reeve have to give out orders as he pleases? Tell me!"

"My job . . . our job, as ShinRa is to provide the best we can to the people. Make no mistake that we have our flaws, who doesn't? But that gives you no right to slander the hard work that we have put into trying to save as many lives as we can after Midgar was destroyed. The people don't need this kind of news now. We're living in enough chaos and strife as it is, we can't handle anymore."

"Tom, you're looking at it as if covering up the truth is a good thing. How can that be a good thing?"

He shook his head with a sigh. "Cover-ups are never a good thing Autumn, but now is just not the time. There's an old Wutanese proverb that says, 'The biggest fish are the ones that should never be caught.' I think you should have heeded those words." Thomas turned his back on her and started to walk out of the tent. "You know, I thought you were different, that you were here because you cared about what happened to these people. I was wrong."

"I do care Tom. I do care," Autumn replied weakly.

"Not the way I see it." And with those parting words, Thomas walked out of Autumn's tent with a slump in his shoulders as if a great weight had been added. Gone was the light step in his gait or the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Autumn knew she may never see him on good terms ever again, but she didn't want to think that their relationship couldn't be repaired. People had disagreements all the time. She told herself that after a few days and the buzz of the news died down, then she and Thomas would be back to their casual flirting. That's what she hoped. That's what she kept telling herself. Though something deep down told her she had shattered her chances into a thousand tiny pieces, floating hopelessly into nothing.

The shrill ring of her phone startled her as she pulled out her phone to answer it. "Hello."

"_Is this Ms. Noval?" _a male voice asked from the other line.

"Speaking."

"_Ms. Noval, it has come to our attention that you've written some incriminating things against ShinRa."_

"Nothing that wasn't far from the truth I assure you. This is about my article, isn't it?"

"_What else would it be about."_

"Listen, if you're trying to scare me into shying away from writing about ShinRa business, you're talking to the wrong journalist," Autumn said still angry from her conversation with Thomas.

"_Am I? I think there's someone else on the line here who would think otherwise."_

"Oh what? Is the President going to order me to stop writing?"

"_Um, hey Sis,"_ Sol said meekly.

"Oh god," Autumn whispered. "Sol!"

"_Do I have your attention now Ms. Noval."_

"What the hell are you doing with him?"

"_He's safe for now. But I'm sure you know that his safety is in your hands."_

"What do you want me to do?"

"_Recall your article, recall all the facts and details. Tell the public that what you wrote was written based on false information. Tell them that everything was a lie. Then give us whatever evidence you have proving the facts in your article; the names of your sources and lastly, John ShinRa's dog-tags."_

"But, what I wrote was the truth! Don't people deserve that?"

"_Miss, there are some things that are kept a secret for a reason, this is one of them."_

"Basically, you want me to sacrifice my career for my brother's life?"

"_Long and short of it, yes. It's your choice."_

"I still don't understand why the government still feels like they need to keep these dark secrets? Why do you all feel like you have to defend ShinRa's mistakes?"

"_You may not see it now, but you will. Trust me, you will. A hurricane is coming and you my dear are the source." _

"Fine, I'll recant my story. Now please release Sol."

"_We will release your brother after the article that your pretty little hands will write is on the front page tomorrow morning and we have whatever evidence you have in our hands, then and only then will we release him."_

"Where will you release him? Or are you going to just drop him off in the middle of nowhere hoping that something eats him?"

"_If you fulfill your end of the bargain, nothing like that is going to happen. We'll meet you in Kalm and make the exchange. You have my word that we'll keep him safe. Just do your part and we'll do ours."_

"Okay, you win. You win," Autumn sobbed.

* * *

Walter flipped his phone shut and looked over to the other Turks. "It's done. She's going to recall the article and we'll get what we need."

"So, what do we do now?" Clubs asked.

"Simple, we go back to our rooms, sleep the rest of the day away and take a chopper to Kalm tomorrow morning," Reno said as he stretched. "How long have I been awake again?"

"Too long," Rude answered.

Walter faced the new Turks. "Hope you all learned a few lessons. But you guys should probably follow Reno's lead and get some shut-eye. I can keep an eye on the kid."

"Great Walt! We'll catch you later. Wake me if the world is going to end, again," Reno half-joked.

Everyone sluggishly meandered out of the temporary Turk headquarters stationed in Junon. The only ones left were Walter and Sol. The young teen held the handles of the chair in a death-grip as he stared at the man who he had thought was only a harmless old, harmonica-playing Army washout.

"So, why did you join the Army Sol?" Walter asked to break the silence.

Sol shifted uncomfortably under Walter's gaze. "To be honest, I thought it would be cool. But, it didn't turn out that way."

"If not the Army, then what would you have been?"

"A writer, I guess. I knew I couldn't make a living out of that, so I had to do something to get some money," Sol shrugged.

"Was that what you were writing in that journal of yours all the time? Stories?"

Sol tensed and touched his back where the journal was tucked safely away. "Um . . . yeah. I was writing stories. Lots of stories."

Walter smirked. "You know I can tell when you're lying Sol so why not cut the bull and hand over the journal."

Sol hesitantly pulled out the journal and handed it over to Walter. He tried to sink even lower into his seat while mumbling, "If you didn't want to kill me before, you'll want to now."

Walter heard the boy's mumbling but chose to ignore it for now. He studied the contents of Sol's journal and what he read surprised him. The kid had sharper eyes and ears than he led on. "So you were observing us the whole time."

"Yeah. I sort of wanted to try the investigative journalism thing. My sister Autumn peaked my interest."

"And it looks like you've mentioned a few of these things to your sister too. It would have been quite embarrassing to the Turks if news of Nick King's rebellion were first reported from the press. I bet you never thought that I was observing you all too."

"No, I thought you were just some crazy old man. No offense," Sol chuckled nervously.

"None taken. Though I have to admit. I'm impressed with your skills kid. You'd make a good spy, did you know that?"

Sol's face brightened up. "Seriously!"

"Yeah, if you weren't caught up in Turk business."

That statement deflated the teen. "Oh."

Walter watched Sol react in amusement. After reading the kid's journal, his opinion of him changed. Walter hadn't seen such raw talent in his field in a long time. It would be a pity if that talent went to waste. "Sol, you're a good man. Deep down, I know that all you want is to do the right thing. I know why you called your sister because you were scared and you're too inexperienced. You probably think we're going to kill you right?"

Sol nodded his head.

"Well, one thing that most people don't know is that the Turks do have mercy. And I'm going to show you that mercy. You know why? Because I know that you're a good man and I've never liked seeing a good man die much less killing one. But we're not going to let you off that easy. You don't belong in the Army; you're too smart for that."

"What can I do?"

"Become a Turk."

"A Turk!?! I could never do that. I'm hardly Turk material," Sol said in shock.

Walter held up Sol's journal. "That, my boy, is where you're wrong. This journal proves you've got what it takes. Being a Turk isn't just about shooting guns and blowing shit up. It's about sleuthing and espionage. You've got the sleuthing down since you've been giving little reports to your sister. We'd just need to help you work on stealth and maybe a little bit of shooting guns. What do you say kid?"

Sol gaped at Walter. "I don't know what to say. I've never thought about it. I always thought Turks were the bad guys."

Walter laughed. "We're only the bad guys from a certain point-of-view. In our line of work, there is no good or evil kid. Only what needs to be done and what should be done."

Sol shifted in his seat, thinking about Walter's offer. "I don't really have much of a say in this, do I?"

"Perceptive as always. That's why I like ya kid. Though we're going to force you if necessary, it's always nice to know you're a willing victim."

"So I become a Turk, just like that? Don't we have to ask Reno, go through some sort of training or something?"

"Reno will agree with me after I talk with him. He still respects his elders. And I'll take care of training you after we take care of the business with your sister. I've been meaning to retire. I'm getting too old. So you in kid?"

"Yeah, I'm in," Sol said with a smile, relaxing for the first time in a while.

* * *

Her belongings were already packed up in her jeep. There was one pile that was to go to the Turks and one pile to be returned to her former place of employment. Autumn stared at the paper lying on her lap. The bold words were glaring back at her coldly as if she betrayed them. In a sense, she did betray them. Her career was shot, her reputation: broken. But it was going to be worth it because family was more important than anything in the world.

Now she was sitting on top of her jeep near one of Kalm's marketplaces waiting for the Turks to bring her baby-brother back. She didn't even get a chance to say good-bye to Thomas. She didn't think he would appreciate her company, even if he had read the paper this morning. At least that gave her time to think about what she was going to do for the rest of her life. No one in their right mind would hire her as a journalist. She briefly wondered if June needed an extra hand over at Bone Village.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Autumn turned to see a group of middle-aged women facing her. "Um, yes?"

"You don't happen to be Autumn Noval, do you?"

"Yes, I'm her," Autumn answered cautiously.

"See, I told you it was her," the woman said to her friends before facing Autumn again. "My friends and I were curious. We read your articles and we wanted to know the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes. Did ShinRa really have a huge cover-up or not? I mean, a girl with your intelligence couldn't possibly have made that story up like you said you did today."

Autumn was uncertain about how to answer the woman. If it were any other day and if her brother's life wasn't on the line, she would have said 'yes' in a heartbeat, but that wasn't the case. "Well, it's complicated."

One of the other women in the group spoke up, "See, I told you that the article was a fake. All of that can't be true."

"Oh come off it. We've got the woman who wrote it, I'm sure that the proof is in the pudding, right dear?" The first woman said sympathetically.

"Um . . . well," Autumn hesitated.

One of the women started shouting down the street, "Hey! We've got that girl who wrote the article on ShinRa here!"

Before she knew it, a large crowd had begun to gather around her jeep. Men, women and even a few children were gathered around her wanting to know what she knew. Apparently, she had peaked enough interests in her articles that people were beginning to question the truth. Sadly, now was not the time she wanted her journalistic skills to be doing their job. Autumn sat and stared as thousands of questions were lodged her way.

"Was it true that the man who died in the ShinRa Tower attack was some guy named John?"

"Is Rufus ShinRa still alive?"

"How many sons did the late-President father?"

"Who's John ShinRa?"

"Were you telling the truth or not?"

The sight of Thomas and his bodyguard Private Pete was the glimmer of peace in the entire crowd. "Autumn, what's going on?"

"Tom! What are you doing here?" Autumn yelled over the crowd.

"I just got out of a meeting with the Mayor of Kalm. But what the heck is going on?"

Autumn did her best to ignore the shouts of the townsfolk and focused only on Thomas from on top of her jeep. "I recanted my article from yesterday and issued a statement in this morning's paper that everything was a lie. Now everyone here is asking me what the real truth is."

The crowd shifted, pushing Thomas and Private Pete into Autumn's jeep. The movement nearly knocked Autumn off of her perch as the crowd became more irate as none of their questions were being answered. The presence of Thomas and Private Pete only incited more tensions.

"Stop harassing the poor girl you ShinRa jerks!"

"Is this another ShinRa cover-up?"

"We just want the truth!"

In what would be called the worst case of timing, strutting up to the crowd in all of his obnoxious glory was the Leader of the Turks, Reno. "What the hell is all this happy-crappy?"

The presence of the Turks only excited the crowd more, stoking the brewing fire. Shouts were all mixing together to form a loud buzz. But Autumn wasn't concerned with those things. She was frantically searching the sea of people for her brother. Her eyes landed on Sol who was standing a safe distance away from the crowd next to an old man. When she saw Sol waving at her with a smile and giving her a thumbs-up, relief washed over her body. Sol was going to be safe.

Autumn felt someone tug at her jeans and looked down to see a blonde-haired female Turk holding her hand out. "Oh, the evidence." Autumn quickly handed the woman the bag of all her evidence: the pictures, the written testimonies, her sources and John ShinRa's dog-tags. She didn't care what happened to them anymore. They weren't worth a person's life.

When Autumn finally turned her attention back to the crowd, even more people had gathered around her jeep. Thomas and Pete were trying to push people away from the vehicle while Reno seemed to be in a heated argument with a few men. Several other Turks were doing their best to either calm the crowd or pull people out to safety who realized that the little gathering was turning into a riot.

"You Turks are nothing but bad news. You guys never do anything right," a burly man said to Reno jabbing his finger in the Turk's chest.

"That's not what your mother said to me last night," Reno sneered.

It was in that statement where all hell broke loose. Reno and the burly man were grappling with each other. Women and children were screaming and Autumn's jeep was rocking precariously to the crowd's unpredictable movements. Private Pete was doing his best to keep Thomas out of harms way. But since they were both part of ShinRa, they were both targets of the crowd's ire. Out of the corner of his eye, Pete saw a flash of metal pointing at Thomas' back. The rest was pure instinct.

One shot was all it took. One lone shot from an angry man who was bitter over everything that had happened; everything that was happening. Looking back, the man wasn't trying to hurt anyone, but he did. He wasn't trying to incite chaos, but he did. He only wanted to scare a few people so they could feel his pain: to understand him. He was frightened of the unknown and that fear lead him to shoot a man who was only doing his job.

"Pete!" Thomas shouted as the crowd around him ran in panic. Thomas barely managed to catch the soldier as he fell.

The red stain of blood was growing larger and larger on Pete's shirt as he clutched his chest in pain, wheezing with each breath. "Hey, I took a bullet for you. Not too shabby if I say so myself."

"Don't talk. We'll get you a medic and they'll patch you up," Thomas tried to say calmly. "Doctor! I need a doctor here! There's a man hurt!"

Thomas tried to call for help, but there was too much chaos around him. People were running and screaming through the streets. The Turks were trying to pacify the crowd and keep anymore injuries from occurring. Thomas thought he could hear Cid's loud cursing coming his way, but he couldn't be certain.

And at the center of all the chaos, Autumn sat on top of her jeep staring in morbid fascination. Sol was safe now and she would never regret saving his life. But she now finally understood what the Turk was telling her about hiding the truth. Because the truth could drive people mad.

* * *

A/N: I made two New Year's resolutions for this year. 1) Write more. 2) Finish this story. I think I can do my first resolution, the 2nd, I'll need more work on. My excuse for being so lax on writing this past year? It's much more fun to play with my daughter than it is to sit down and write. Sad, but true.


	35. Between Heaven and Hell

A/N: Added quotation marks and apostrophes. Don't know why the Doc manager takes them away.

**

* * *

Chapter 35: Between Heaven and Hell**

She never understood her father. He made decisions that she disagreed with and acted more like a coward than the brave man she admired as a child. She still kept that eternal adoration for him; she would never lose that, but she hated seeing him buckle under the pressures of his role. He would always chide her saying that she would understand when she got older. And that was what motivated her to travel the world. The search for materia on the side was an added bonus. Now that Yuffie had seen the world and gone through the things she had, she thought she could understand her father a bit more. There are lessons that you cannot learn until you live them. It gave the young Wutian princess one conclusion: it sucked to be an adult.

"Yuffie!"

"What's up Tifa?"

Tifa held out a newspaper and pointed at the headlines. "We have a problem."

The article detailing the massacre on the Kalm plains drew a chill down the ninja's spine. Her blood boiled in anger over hearing that one of her fallen comrades had been disrespected. "Tifa, this bites! I can't believe someone would do such a thing. Where are those thugs, we should totally find them and teach them a lesson!"

"I don't know where they are now. This paper is a few days old. The paper service is a little slow up here in the mountains; satellite service as well. I just got a message about this on the PHS from Barret and Cid that they left a few days ago."

Yuffie scanned the article. "So they could be anywhere by now. What are we gonna do Tifa?"

The pained look in Tifa's eyes said everything. "We look for them. Lucretia is still working on her research and it might take days before she's done. In the meantime, we go search for these gang members and pay them back for what they did to Cloud's grave and to those poor people on the plains."

"We'll get them Tifa. That's a promise," Yuffie said seriously. "We should get John and then try to figure out where that biker gang is. Oh! I know! We should go to Cosmo Canyon. I bet we could use Bugenhagen's telescope to find them."

"That's a great idea Yuffie. I'll go get John if you could let Lucretia know that we'll be gone for a few days. Hopefully that will give her enough time to find a way to destroy Chaos."

Yuffie nodded and started to make her way to the ShinRa mansion before she paused. "Tifa, I just wanted to let you know that you're doing a great job. I've always looked up to you and think that when I become an adult, I want to be one just like you."

Tifa smiled. "Thanks Yuffie, that means a lot."

The martial artist was glad that she appeared to be doing well as the de facto AVALANCHE leader. Honestly, Tifa felt like she wasn't fit to be leading. Her life had been a constant whirlwind ever since that fateful day when General Sephiroth came to her hometown. And now here she was back at the beginning, still feeling like the insecure teenager in the cowboy hat and boots. It didn't help that she had heard the news about the biker gang desecrating Cloud's grave. She hadn't even had time to heal from his death and now that wound was left to fester into a blistering sore. She thought she was going to be in a funk for the rest of the day, but the scene she came upon helped lighten her mood.

To phrase it bluntly: it was adorable. Never in a million years would Tifa have expected to see her male teammate conversing with a child in her backyard. She always thought of John as the type of person who would become completely clueless in how to deal with children, but he was proving her wrong. Watching the young boy brought back memories of seeing Cloud when they were both kids. Cloud had always been a shy child, but whenever someone had his attention on him, his eyes would light up in amazed wonderment.

The two were bonding like a father would bond with his son. John carefully guided the boy's hand and watched closely as the boy was trying to figure out how to use a slingshot. The boy carefully concentrated on what he was doing nodding in acknowledgement to John's comments. If Tifa didn't know any better, she would have thought that John had known the boy for all of his life. As sweet as the scene was, Tifa had to interrupt the pair as she cleared her throat loudly.

"Tifa!" John looked over in surprise. "Um, I'd like you to meet Haru. Haru, this is Tifa."

Tifa held her hand out to the little boy, "Pleased to meet you Haru."

Haru blushed as he shook Tifa's hand. "Nice to meet you Ms. Tifa."

"I hate to have to take Mr. John away from you, but he and I have some business to take care of," Tifa said to Haru before giving John a meaningful look.

John caught the grave look on Tifa's face and knew that whatever 'business' they had to attend to, it wasn't good. "Okay squirt, start practicing everything I taught you with that slingshot," John said as he ruffled Haru's hair.

"Yes, sir!"

Once John and Tifa were a good distance away from the young boy, they both dropped the cheerful faces and got serious.

"What's up?"

Tifa handed John the paper showing him the article, "Some biker gang murdered a bunch of innocent people in the Kalm plains. They destroyed Cloud's grave and stole his sword."

John pursed his lips in anger. "Any clue as to where they are?"

"No, but Yuffie thinks that we might be able to spot them if we head to Cosmo Canyon and use the telescope there. We have to find these people John. We have to."

"I know Tifa. We'll find them," John paused. "I know Cloud would probably be proud of you if he were to see you today."

A small smile graced her lips as she listened to John. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

Tifa breathed deeply gracious for the support of her teammates. She couldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for Yuffie and John. She may not be as great a leader as Cloud was, but she was doing her best. Cloud would be proud of her and that was enough.

* * *

She did it. She finally did it. Lucretia didn't know how long it had taken her or how long she had been working, but none of that mattered because she had finished her project. Her hands shook with a mixture of excitement and fatigue as she held the syringes of purified mako. She marveled at how the solution to the problem was the simplest and purest form of matter on the planet. The very same substance that she and many scientists like her had been researching. It was almost laughable. Chaos was a being born from the planet and yet the only thing to destroy it was the essence of the planet that birthed him.

She knew that she probably should bring the syringes of purified mako to Tifa, but Lucretia was so exhausted. She should have listened to the younger woman and slept a little more or ate some of the food that they brought down. It was so hard to take a break when she became immersed in her work. It was hard to think of anything else but how to help Vincent. Lucretia regretted what she did to him. If only she knew what she did now, but as she learned, there was no use lingering on the past thinking of the 'what ifs.' Hiding in the waterfall cave had done nothing but age her. It was a welcome reprieve to delve into her research again.

Yuffie ran into the laboratory in a rush. "Lucretia, just wanted to let you know that we're going to need to head out of Nibelheim for a few days."

"Oh, Yuffie. Thanks for letting me know. Looks like you saved me the trouble of having to find you. I finally did it," Lucretia gave the girl a tired smile.

"You did it?" Yuffie asked confused.

Lucretia held out the syringes. "The weapon against Chaos. I figured it out. It's purified mako. I was able to make three syringes for you to use against him. You simply need to find a way to inject it into him and that should do it."

Yuffie took the syringes that Lucretia made in awe and wonderment. "This is it, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is it," Lucretia smiled wistfully. "It took all of my effort, but I'm so glad that I could do it."

"Thanks so much Ms. Lucretia. I'll be sure that we take care of Chaos. Hopefully we'll be back in a few days," Yuffie clutched the syringes tightly to her chest as she bowed respectfully to the older woman.

"Good luck. Be safe, all of you."

Lucretia watched Yuffie leave the laboratory for the last time. Smoothing her hands over the computer, she slowly turned the machines off, watching the screen as it faded to black. One by one, she shuffled around the lab shutting off valves, switches and unplugging cords. The only equipment she left was a single Bunsen burner heating an opaque liquid. Lucretia inspected the liquid, scrutinizing its color and viscosity before turning the valve on a dropper that slowly started to drip a clear liquid into the heated substance.

She had completed her final project and now she was tired. Her muscles and joints weren't used to her aged body. Her heart felt lighter now, but her body felt heavy as Lucretia staggered through the hall. She needed rest. Her aimless walking finally brought her to a crypt where an open coffin lay in the middle of the floor. It was conveniently fitting. Her breathing grew labored as she lifted herself into the coffin with the last of her strength.

The interior of the coffin smelled of mold and gunpowder, an odd combination that surprisingly soothed her. Lucretia closed her weary eyes and sighed as her body gave into fatigue: a fatigue that had been plaguing her for decades. Lucretia wheezed with each breath that she took, but she wasn't in any discomfort or pain. And so she slept in eternal bliss.

It would be a few hours before the wheezing breaths would fade and the crypt would be met with silence. It would also be a few hours when the constant drip of the liquid into the heated beaker would eventually start a catalyst that would bring the ShinRa Mansion down to the ground. The incident would waken the town of Nibelheim in the middle of the night as townsfolk scrambled to unearth the rubble for any survivors. There would be only one body that they found and many would say it was tragic for the poor woman to have died horrifically in the old mansion. But the truth was, Lucretia died a peaceful death finally atoning for sins long overdue.

* * *

Rufus carefully twisted the metal around the syringe manipulating the device so he could load it into the Death Penalty. He knew that there was no room for error as they only got one syringe of purified mako each. Their mission was now two separate tasks. First, find and stop the bloody biker gang and second, find and destroy Chaos.

"Everyone rested up?" Tifa asked the group.

Yuffie stretched her arms up in the air with a content sigh. "Yeah, so did you hear anything from Barret or Cid?"

"No, no word. It's odd, they're not answering their PHS. I'm guessing they're probably busy right now or the satellite signal is still really bad."

"So the only clue we have is to try the telescope in Cosmo Canyon, correct?" Rufus interjected.

"Yes."

Rufus inserted the syringe into Vincent's rifle and snapped it shut. "Well, I think break time's over. Let's get this show on the road."

"A hero's work is never done," Yuffie sighed as she mounted her chocobo. "AVALANCHE, we need you to fight Sephiroth, AVALANCHE, we need you to save the planet from imminent doom, AVALANCHE, we need you to find some crazy psycho biker gang and by the way, while you're at it why don't you destroy a flying purple demon."

"Well, somebody's got to do it. Besides, didn't you tell me once that you left Wutai so you could have some adventures," Rufus shrugged.

"You forgot the part about collecting materia!"

Tifa smiled. "How could we forget that."

"Speaking of materia, I've been meaning to ask you Tifa, have you noticed that sometimes a summoning materia changes colors?"

"Changes colors? I haven't noticed that. What colors do they change to?"

"Kind of a deep burgundy to purple."

"I've never heard of anything like that happening before. Do you recall when it would happen?" Rufus asked.

Yuffie pursed her lips in thought. "You know, now that I think about it. I only started noticing it when we first came to Nibelheim. Back when we found Vincent."

Rufus gave Tifa and Yuffie a puzzled look. "You don't suppose that they're related in any way, do you?"

"It might. Yuffie, when's the last time you noticed them changing color?" Tifa asked.

"When we were at Gold Saucer. That was when we were trying to bait Chaos. Hey! Maybe it has something to do with Chaos!"

Rufus ran a hand though his hair. "That would certainly make searching for Chaos a bit easier. What color is your summon materia now?"

Yuffie pulled out her weapon and looked slightly started at her summon materia. "It's burgundy."

"If we all think that the color change in the materia is what we think it is, then we're probably getting close. Yuffie, keep an eye on that materia and let us where to go to make it turn purple," Rufus ordered.

Yuffie glanced between the ground and her materia checking to see what course would turn the materia a darker shade. "Left guys, turn left!"

Tifa and Rufus followed closely behind matching the ninja's erratic movement step-by-step.

"Right! Now right!"

Soon, the trio didn't need to follow the materia as the air around them grew heavy. An ominous swirl of grey clouds circled the sky behind a large red rock. The clashing sounds of battle echoed off the dusty rocks. A guttural roar that shook the very foundations of the earth was enough to let the warriors know that they had found their quarry. And if that wasn't enough evidence, then the deep purple color of Yuffie's summoning materia was another dead giveaway.

The sight they came upon shocked them to no end. The drunken biker, Jagger Grens, who they had fought briefly on their way to Junon was wildly swinging the Ultima Blade. But there was something different about the sword. Instead of the brilliant blue, the sword was now a deep blood red that emitted a dull blackness. Before the biker was a creature that could be considered the evil itself. Jaws taut in ravenous glory, wings slick with fresh blood, Chaos roared his ire along the dusty rocks and aimed his hunger at the lone man daring to challenge him. It was a battle of two evils, one trying to outdo the other. For only the last one standing could truly be called the greatest threat on the planet.

"Tifa! What do we do?" Yuffie shouted over the roars of Chaos and Jagger's cursing.

"It's too dangerous for either one of us to get between them," Tifa said to Yuffie. "John, do you think you have a clear shot at either target?"

"Negative. They're moving around too much for me to get one in," Rufus said as he tried to follow one of the targets with his shotgun.

Yuffie clutched her shuriken tighter. "Should we let them duke it out until one of them dies? I mean, they're so busy that they haven't spotted us yet?"

"Tempting, but we need to formulate a plan in case they decide that we're much more fun to fight than each other. John, any ideas?"

"I like Yuffie's idea personally, but you're right. We need a plan. Best I can think of is find a way to inject the purified mako into Chaos while he's preoccupied with the crazy biker. Once our strongest enemy is out of the way, then we take out the biker."

"Guess you'll need more than one syringe to shot at Chaos then, right?" Tifa said as she took out her syringe and started working the metal so it could be loaded into the Death Penalty.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Rufus smirked.

Yuffie quickly worked alongside Tifa in fixing her syringe of purifed mako. The women worked as quietly and efficiently as they could. Rufus kept his eyes on the pair fighting in the open plains. Neither side looked like they were gaining any ground on the other. He was slightly shocked to discover that the drunken biker named Jagger Grens was lethal with a sword. Rufus had initially written the man off as neither a threat nor nuisance. Too bad he had to have been proven wrong.

"John, here are the syringes," Tifa handed Rufus the two containers of purified mako.

Yuffie looked Rufus in the eye. "John, I have two words for you: don't miss."

Rufus brushed the hair out of his eyes before taking aim through the scope. "I don't miss Yuffie."

With Chaos in his sight, Rufus steadied the rifle and squeezed the trigger, aiming for the demon's heart. The shot met its mark as Chaos reeled back in pain, pulling out the syringe that had embedding itself into his chest. Unfortunately, the shot didn't take the demon down as Chaos roared at the AVALANCHE members in anger.

"Why isn't Chaos dead yet?" Tifa asked.

"Maybe he needs another dose?" Yuffie shouted.

Through all of the commotion, Jagger Grens finally noticed the trio standing several yards away. His eyes widened as he saw the familiar brown-haired man from his past. Madness flooded his senses as the Ultima Blade pulsed in a red haze of anger. "Johnny boy! I finally found you Johnny boy!"

Rufus took in the scene with alarm. Chaos had not been taken down and now Jagger was running towards him with killer intent. "Tifa, Yuffie! Keep the crazy biker occupied; I'll hit Chaos with another dose!"

"One step ahead of you," Tifa quickly ran to intercept Jagger with Yuffie not far behind.

Keeping Chaos in his sights, Rufus hopped onto his chocobo and trotted away from the area, baiting Chaos into following him. Luckily for him, Chaos took the bait and followed behind, sluggishly flapping his wings.

Jagger hardly paid attention to the two women fighting him. He blocked and parried on instinct, but most of his attention was focused on the lone male riding away on a chocobo. He didn't even care that the purple demon he had been fighting earlier was following the man. With a large arcing swing, Jagger forced both Tifa and Yuffie to jump back. This gave him enough time to run to his bike where he quickly rode in the direction of his target. Tifa and Yuffie wasted no time in mounting their chocobos and giving chase.

Rufus rode Mortius weaving between boulders and rocky crevices to try and wear Chaos down. The demon was carelessly following Rufus, occasionally flying into rocks. He loaded the second round into the rifle and quickly turned around a boulder before stopping and aiming in front of the boulder where he expected Chaos to emerge behind. Sure enough, Chaos came crashing around the bend, which was Rufus's signal to fire. The shot struck Chaos in the right leg. It was enough to do damage and slow Chaos down, but not enough to kill the demon. Chaos now hobbled on the ground, unable to keep himself in the air.

"Third time's the charm," Rufus muttered as he quickly reloaded the rifle with the last syringe. What Rufus didn't foresee was something or someone getting in the way of the shot. He didn't know that Jagger Grens was following him and Chaos on his bike, not too far off his tail. He didn't know how completely consumed by bloodlust and hatred Jagger had become or that the man would abandon all logic and reasoning. And Rufus would never know of the wrong that his late half-brother had befallen the deranged biker to drive him to such lengths.

But those weren't the thoughts running through Rufus's mind. He was more concerned about the fact that instead of shooting Chaos with the last syringe or purified mako, he had just killed Jagger Grens as the syringe sunk into Jagger's brain, landing straight between the eyes. Jagger fell to the ground as his bike skidded into a rock. The Ultima Blade clanked loudly on the ground as the reddish hue slowly faded until the sword was nothing more than a dull metallic grey. Rufus was so shocked at the situation; he hardly noticed when Tifa and Yuffie had come around to flank him as they faced down Chaos.

"Do you have anymore syringes left?" Tifa asked.

"No, the biker took that last one. The second shot met its mark. Looks like we needed all three doses."

Yuffie eyed Chaos warily as the demon staggered, getting closer to the trio. "Well, what do we do now? I don't think we can just go back to Nibelheim and hope that Lucretia has a few more of those syringes, right? And it's not like mako just pops out of the ground randomly."

"We fight him, what else can we do. Let's just hope that the two shots that John already got in are enough to weaken him."

"They will be enough. We're strong enough to take him down. After all, we have two people who helped destroy Sephiroth and saved the world on our side, right?" Rufus answered as he aimed the rifle at the approaching demon.

Tifa and Yuffie both smiled at the encouraging words. That was enough to give them the motivation for the fight. Yuffie smirked as she crouched ready to throw her shuriken. Tifa tightened her fists tensing her muscles in anticipation of the fight. The trio was ready to destroy Chaos, but something unexpected happened. The ground rumbled as the earth cracked and shook until a rift formed. Green tendrils of mako seeped out of a newly formed fissure heading towards Chaos who tried to hobble away from the lifestream.

The AVALANCHE members watched in awe as the glowing green mako caught up to Chaos and wrapped itself around the demon. Chaos roared and struggled against the tendrils, but the lifestream won out, dragging the purple demon back into the fissure of lifestream where it belonged. The rift still pulsed with an iridescent green as the trio looked at each other in shock.

Yuffie looked at the fissure of mako, and then looked at the spot where Chaos once stood. "What just happened?"

"I think I can answer that," a familiar voice answered.

Tifa and Yuffie both gasped in surprise at who they saw. Floating above the mako fissure wearing a blue suit and sporting short hair was Vincent. He no longer had the metal gauntlets on his feet and arm. Another startling feature was the wry smile he wore on his face. It was almost as if they were seeing Vincent at the time when he was the happiest.

"Vinny, is it really you?" Yuffie started to tear up.

"Yes, Yuffie and no I don't have any materia for you."

Yuffie smiled as she wiped away a tear. "Yep, that Vincent alright."

"Vincent, what just happened?" Tifa asked.

"There was one last duty I had to fulfill. I couldn't do it when I was alive. But with the help of the lifestream, I can finally bring Chaos back to where he belonged."

"So you're gone then." Tifa closed her eyes as she heard the final confirmation about Vincent's fate. She wanted to ask about Cloud, but couldn't muster the strength. "Are things peaceful where you are? I mean, you seem different now."

"I've finally made peace with myself."

"Oh, Vincent, did you know that Lucretia helped us try to defeat Chaos?" Yuffie chimed in.

"I know Yuffie. She did well," Vincent said with a melancholy look.

"I think she did this so she could redeem herself for what she did to you," Tifa said. "She told me how much she regretted what she did. I don't think she ever blamed you for what happened."

Vincent nodded. "We both have atoned for our sins. I'm glad you all told me. It will make seeing her again a little less awkward."

Tifa's eyes widened as she took in Vincent's words. She bowed her head solemnly. "I see." She wondered if she would someday meet Cloud in the lifestream as Vincent would meet Lucretia.

"Something's bothering you Tifa. Something that doesn't involve Lucretia or me. What's wrong?" Vincent asked, almost knowing the answer.

"I was kinda hoping to see Cloud."

Vincent shook his head. "You won't see him here because he's been with you all along. He's always watching over you."

"He is? That's good," Tifa smiled as tears ran down her face. "I'm doing my best here. It's been hard, but I'm doing my best."

"He knows. He thinks you make a better leader than he did."

Tifa giggled. She knew that Cloud was a far better leader. It was amusing to see that even in death, he was still shy and self-conscious about his skills. But that was one of the things that made her fall in love with him: he was himself.

"Vincent? Did he know I loved him?"

"Yes, he did."

"And did . . . did he love me back?" Tifa asked hopeful.

"I can't answer that. Only Cloud can," Vincent said giving Tifa a rare smile before he faded away.

"Only Cloud? But . ." Tifa tried to ask.

She was silenced by a warm gentle breeze gently caressing her face. She closed her eyes and thought she could feel Cloud's hand tenderly stroking her cheek. It felt like his breath was blowing sweet kisses across her lips as the affection made her smile unconsciously. And then she heard him. It was the faintest of whispers that could have been mistaken for the wind blowing, but Tifa knew it was Cloud. Tifa sensed the soft breeze fade away as she opened her eyes and felt her heart soar.

Yes, she heard him and Tifa smiled as she remembered the words he whispered into her ears: _I've always loved you Tifa, since the day we first met. Good-bye Tifa Lockheart, Princess of Nibelheim._

_

* * *

_

A/N: Hopefully a few more chapters left to go until the end of the story.


	36. Drunk Before Sober

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all fans of this story, old and new. I greatly appreciate all of the wonderful reviews I've been getting. I'm hoping to keep the momentum of the story all the way until the last chapter.

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* * *

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**Chapter 36: Drunk Before Sober**

She was happy. It had been a long time since she had felt this way. Glee pulsed through her veins in a rush. She was high on life without a care in the world. This was how it should be; this was what she wanted. Tifa took another sip of the fermented berry drink before brazenly deepening the contact with her male companions' side. John, after consuming several cups of the alcoholic drink, wrapped an arm around her affectionately. Her happiness soared to almost immeasurable heights; second only to the feelings she had when she was around Cloud.

AVALANCHE was celebrating. It was a celebration of life, death and victory. Life: over the joining of Nanaki and Kaya, who had found the team after being sent to investigate the strange energy, pulsating from the canyons. Death: for Sersa, who had passed shortly after returning to her homeland and finding forgiveness for the deeds she'd done. And finally, victory: for defeating Chaos and Jagger Grens. Their mission was over and all of Cosmo Canyon reveled in the festivities as they gathered around the Cosmo Candle.

The firelight danced in her eyes as she watched the villagers pay their respects to Sersa before blessing Nanaki and Kaya's union. Tifa was taken aback at first over the celebrations since Sersa had recently passed away; it seemed strange to express their grief though such a gala. But Bugenhagen explained that her death only meant that she was being reborn in the lifestream and that the village was celebrating her rebirth. Tifa would have considered the custom farfetched. However, after seeing Vincent and being able to talk to Cloud again, she discovered the wisdom and truth to their traditions. It was better to think about the life they were being reborn into rather than the life they would have lived; something Tifa could understand having finally made peace with Cloud's death.

Yuffie mingled with the villagers, occasionally shooting a wink or a thumbs-up in her direction. Tifa wasn't sure if the signs of encouragement were meant for her, John or both of them. Taking another sip of "liquid courage," Tifa dared to look up into her partner's eyes and was nearly shocked at what she saw. Blazing blue shined back at her with an intensity that pierced through to her core. The sounds around her dulled to a faint buzzing; colors blended into nothing but the striking eyes staring back at her. The sweet smell of the fermented drink on John's breath intoxicated her as she felt the soft press of his lips on hers.

A single kiss, innocent and sweet; but with the addition of alcohol and adrenaline, the kiss became more than sweet simple innocence. John wrapped his arms around Tifa, letting his fingers caress her soft skin. Tifa gripped John's shirt trying to ground herself to something lest she drift off into blissful oblivion.

Tifa broke off the kiss in a breathless whisper. "Room."

John nodded and hastily staggered to his feet, keeping as much contact with Tifa as he could. The pair left the party weaving in an out of the drunken villagers. They passed other couples enjoying the fermented berry drink as much as they were. Tifa vaguely noticed that the villagers had erected a new shrine for Cloud with the Ultima Blade hanging over the village's inner sanctum. She would have stopped to admire the shrine if she weren't being kissed with an intimate fervor. A part of her was afraid that they weren't going to make it to the room, but with a small stumble the pair entered the room and locked it; both sharing a smoldering look.

With a coy smile, Tifa crawled backwards into the bed. Feelings she had been trying to ignore were boiling over. She gazed at John with a mixture of excitement and adventure. Only the blue of his eyes stood out in the darkened room like a beacon as she felt him draw near. Their breaths mingled in a mixture of passion before their lips met. Tifa thought she could drown in these sensations and was ready to dive in head first. But she felt John withdraw momentarily, looking at Tifa seriously.

"Tifa, there's something important I have to tell you before . . ."

"What?" Tifa asked, wondering what John had to say as she ran her hands through his hair.

John closed his eyes as he relished the feeling. "I think I could have you do this to me forever."

"I will if you want me to," Tifa said never stopping her ministrations.

Reluctantly John pulled Tifa's hands out his hair and held them close to his chest. "Tifa, there are so many things I want to tell you before we go on. I don't know what's going to happen to us afterwards, but I'm too fucking happy to care right now. First and most importantly, I love you."

Tifa didn't know what else he wanted to say, but she knew that it was good enough for her. She tried to kiss him again, but John stopped her after a minute.

"Tifa, please don't make this hard for me. Trust me, I want you just as badly, but I need to finish," John said as he struggled to rein in his passions. "There is something else I have to tell you. I'm Rufus ShinRa."

Everything stopped in that moment as Tifa's mind processed what her teammate had said. "John, are you drunk? How many drinks have you had?"

"Ten, I think. But I'm being completely serious here Tifa. I'm not drunk enough to forget who I really am. I'm Rufus ShinRa, and if you still want me after hearing this . . ."

He was breathing heavily gazing at her with a mixture of lust and fear. His hair was ruffled, but there was still a neatness about it that baffled her since her hair was a wild mess. And though there was no cockiness or hubris exuding from the man who claimed he was Rufus ShinRa, Tifa believed him.

But before Tifa had a chance to answer Rufus, his stomach lurched. She watched as John . . . no, Rufus bolted from the bed to the bathroom in a surprising act of agility despite his constitution. The retching in the bathroom was a sound she was familiar with having heard it enough times at Seventh Heaven. There was nothing more sobering than having to take care of a puking drunk. Cautiously, Tifa walked into the bathroom to spot Rufus worshiping the porcelain god. She slowly rubbed his back as he coughed and gagged the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

There were many types of drunks in this world. Tifa had seen them all in her time as a barmaid. There were the loud drunks, the quiet drunks, the sad drunks, and the happy drunks. There was a drunk for every known personality. Sometimes you could tell what type of drunk someone would be just by looking at them. For example, Sephiroth would be the type who would murder a town while drunk, but then again he did it when he was sober. Yuffie was a loud and horny drunk; she was glad she wasn't going to see that tonight. Then there was John Woolfe, better known as, Rufus ShinRa. Before this night, Tifa would have pegged Rufus ShinRa as a sad drunk, but she knew better now. He was an honest drunk: an honest drunk who was making her emotions more difficult to deal with. At least all men were created equal when enough alcohol was involved: seeing someone as powerful as Rufus ShinRa throwing-up in the bathroom was proof of that.

* * *

The Cosmo Candle burned gently in the morning light as all signs of last night's festivities were gone. Only the headaches and stomachaches from those who celebrated a bit too much remained. Kaya and Nanaki both lay in front of the candle staring intently at the flames.

"I'm glad that she got to see the village one last time before she passed."

"She is part of the planet now and she is at peace. You can always find solace knowing that she will watch over you through the fires of the planet."

"At least she saw the Cosmo Candle one last time. She always told me that the candle was the heart of this village. I never understood what she was talking about, but now that I'm here and now that I've seen the village, her words make sense to me."

"There are things that you can never truly understand until you have lived them. I know that I have learned many things in the adventures I have had with my human companions."

"Will you tell me those stories? All of them?"

Nanaki licked Kaya's mane. "Of course. We have all the time in the world. I want to tell you everything."

Kaya purred resting her head atop Nanaki's. Her eyes traveled back to the Cosmo Candle. "Thank you mother. Thank you for bringing me home."

* * *

It felt like his head was being used as Barrett and Cid's doormat. He hadn't gotten this wasted since Reno took him down to a trashy bar the night his father was killed by Sephiroth. Rufus had no recollection of how much he drank last night or even what he drank, but he was going to swear himself off of alcohol for a long time. In fact, if he ever got back into politics, he would make a motion to ban the substance altogether.

An unpleasant churn of his stomach forced Rufus off of his feet and into the bathroom where he vomited up whatever was left in his body. A cool cloth found its way onto the back of his neck as somebody rubbed his back. Rufus turned to find Tifa holding out a glass of water.

"Take a few slow sips. You'll need to keep hydrated but don't chug the water."

Rufus graciously took the glass and sipped it slowly as instructed. Once he wetted his throat, he found he had enough energy to talk, "what happened last night?"

Tifa looked at him with a curious expression, "you don't remember?"

"No, not really. I remember that we met up with Nanaki and Kaya then went to Cosmo Canyon. I met Bugenhagen: strange guy. Then there was a huge celebration. How many of those berry drinks did I have?"

"Ten," Tifa answered, still staring at him intently. "You really don't remember what happened last night?"

"No," Rufus said carefully. "Did I do something wrong? Oh god Tifa! Was I a total asshole to you or something? Cause if I was I'm really sorry."

"No! No! You didn't do anything to me that was really . . . bad. Well, you almost threw-up on me, but you ran to the bathroom in time. I just . . . I was just curious, that's all," Tifa said with a faint blush.

Rufus was slightly relieved; however, that didn't solve the problem of not remembering anything that had happened the night before. He knew that he was still wearing the same clothes from last night and somehow they ended up in his room. Tifa was only looking at him with a curious expression, so he guessed that he hadn't done anything terribly embarrassing.

"So I guess whatever happened last night wasn't a huge deal, right?"

Tifa's eyes widened slightly, "Um, yeah. No big deal. Here, let me refill the glass of water for you and then you should take a shower . . . or um, freshen up a bit."

The woman quickly left the bathroom barely glancing up at the hung-over male. Rufus was certain that something had to have happened. He knew he wasn't completely out of sorts that he couldn't tell that Tifa had been keeping something from him. He just didn't know what it was or if any of it was his fault.

* * *

Yuffie knew this feeling. She was going to puke and there was nothing she could do about it. She was lucky that she made it to the bathroom in the village's bar. A few of the patrons outside the bar weren't so lucky. Yuffie hadn't had this much to drink since that time in Wutai when she sneaked into her father's liquor cabinet. She could sure use a Wutaniese hang-over cure right about now.

Washing her face, she tried to keep her focus on something other than the bright lights hanging over the mirror. Resting her forehead on the cool porcelain, Yuffie saw the pile of old crumpled newspapers stacked up under the sink. She started to read the first article sitting on top of the pile as the headlines mentioned something about 'ShinRa' in them. As she continued to read the paper, she gradually forgot the irritated churning of her stomach and the throbbing pain in her head. Instead, her eyes widened as she absorbed the information written in the article. Yuffie had just discovered the best cure for a hangover: the harsh slap of reality.

Grabbing the newspaper, she rushed out of the bathroom in search of her teammates. She also mentally told herself to stay away from newspapers for a while because they seemed to always be the bearer of bad news. The young ninja was lucky to find Tifa on her way to the Cosmo Candle.

"Tifa! Tifa! We have trouble!"

"What's wrong Yuffie?"

Yuffie held the newspaper out for Tifa. "They think that Rufus ShinRa is still alive! The guy who died in the ShinRa tower a while back you know when we fought Diamond Weapon? Well . . . that wasn't Rufus ShinRa. Tifa? What does this mean?"

Tifa held the paper in her hands, her face a mixture of uncertainty and acceptance. "I don't know Yuffie. I honestly don't know."

* * *

His head still felt a bit fuzzy, but a nice hot shower had helped to wake him up. The biggest concern Rufus had right now was trying to figure out what, if anything, he had done to Tifa last night. He knew that she was hiding something from him. He was relatively certain that whatever it was it didn't anger her; otherwise he wouldn't be walking around with all of his body parts intact.

Rufus had to find Tifa and rectify whatever damage he may have done. Making his way to the Cosmo Candle, he was able to find her quickly as she stood talking to Yuffie.

"Tifa, I need to talk to you," Rufus said as he walked straight up to the woman.

Yuffie grabbed his arm and shoved a newspaper in his face, "John! We've got trouble! Rufus ShinRa is still alive!"

Rufus read the headline and froze. " 'Who's John ShinRa?: ShinRa conspiracy to cover-up that Rufus ShinRa still alive?'"

"What does this mean? Tifa and I are trying to figure that out. I mean, Rufus ShinRa is the bad guy, right?"

"I guess that depends on your point-of-view," Rufus replied off-handedly as he skimmed the article. "It seems Ms. Noval is quite the conspiracy theorist. Rumors of illegitimate children, body-doubles . . . wonder what else is in here. The paper looks like it's a few days old. There might be more recent information."

"I'll go check," Yuffie said as she darted away.

"Do you think that there's any truth to what she writes?" Tifa asked cautiously.

Rufus closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He knew that the accusations were true; there was no getting around that. It was just a matter of how much he wanted to reveal. "Well, you know what they say; beneath every great lie is a grain of truth. It certainly wouldn't be impossible for this to happen. But there's not much proof that Rufus ShinRa is around other than the fact that the man who died in the ShinRa tower was not Rufus ShinRa. Your guess is as good as mine Tifa."

Tifa opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it before finally speaking. "John, if Rufus ShinRa is still alive, why do you think he's been quiet all this time? Reeve has been the one acting as President since his supposed death . . . it just doesn't seem like Rufus to lay low for so long letting someone else do his job."

"I'm guessing that he enjoyed laying low for a while and acting like a regular citizen. But I really can't say," Rufus answered half-heartedly.

He stared into Tifa's eyes as they studied him. Watching her inquisitive features nearly caused Rufus to tell her everything about who he really was; how he wanted to lay low and live a normal life for a while after seeing Meteor, how he didn't think it was safe for him to reveal himself . . . and then he met AVALANCHE. He didn't know when it happened, but over time he found himself wishing that he really was John Woolfe like he pretended. He wished that he could have been a normal man without all of the political baggage; that he could be the man Tifa and Yuffie have gotten to know and that Rufus ShinRa would have ceased to exist. But it seemed like that was impossible now because he knew that he would eventually have to reveal who he really was. He dreaded seeing the reaction on Tifa's face when that happened. He desperately wanted to tell Tifa the truth for why Rufus ShinRa has laid low for so long: because of her.

He hadn't noticed when Nanaki and his mate Kaya had joined the conversation. They were now trying to determine the truth behind the article and what their next course of action should be. Yuffie went into another fit of mindless cursing when she came back with several other papers. One paper recanted the first story while the remaining newspapers wrote about the potential conspiracy theories behind ShinRa and Rufus ShinRa's faked death.

"Tifa, what are we going to do? Rufus ShinRa is probably still out there." Yuffie asked.

"We go to Junon and talk to Reeve. All of us," Tifa said looking pointedly at her male companion.

Nanaki looked worriedly at Kaya before speaking. "Tifa, if it would be alright, Kaya and I would like to stay here in Cosmo Canyon. There is so much I want to show her about her homeland. Do you think you'll be fine without us?"

"Of course we will," Tifa answered as she gently stroked his mane. "We'll fill you in on all of the events through the PHS. Stay here with your people and your new mate."

"The Highwind is still in the canyon. I'm sure that the pilots wouldn't mind transporting you all back to the Eastern Continent," said Nanaki graciously.

Yuffie blanched. "Um, Tifa. Can we wait to head to Junon until maybe after lunch or sometime way later than right now?"

"Let's leave before we eat so your stomach won't be as upset. We'll all meet at the Highwind before noon, how does that sound?"

Rufus nodded his head, still trying to digest all of the information he just received and Yuffie hesitantly agreed.

"Good, get your stuff ready and I'll met you then."

Rufus watched everyone leave going their own separate ways. He found himself walking over to the Cosmo Candle staring at the flames lost in thought. He was going to have to tell Reeve and the rest of the ShinRa government the truth. He hadn't been in touch with the news lately, but he could tell from the snippets that he had read in the newspapers that the world was restless. Questions needed to be answered and conspiracy theories put to rest. There was no plausible way for Reeve to rule as President if there was any question of his accession. Odd in its own way, the world needed Rufus ShinRa. The big question was whether or not he was going to tell Tifa before they reached Junon.

* * *

The sun was setting over the Kalm fields. A scarlet hue painted the sky almost as a reminder of the blood that was spilt that day. Two worn and weary men sat watching the sunset in peace; a welcome reprieve from the chaos of several hours earlier.

"We're lucky you know. It could have been worse," Cid said as he took a drag out of his cigarette.

"I know we're lucky," Barrett grumbled.  
"Then why are you still all pissy?"

"Cause it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Damn, I wish Tifa or Reeve were here. They'd know what to do."

Cid paused and nodded his head in agreement. "Have you called her?"

"Shit, the PHS ran out of batteries a few days ago and with everything going on, I forgot to charge it."

"Well, no point in crying over spilled milk. Know who it was who died?"

"Some guy named Private Pete or something. Thomas is real upset over the whole thing."

"Can't say I blame him. I just hope that someone who has some political-balls comes out here to calm these people down. You and I aren't exactly gentlemen of sound and virtue."

"Yeah, but we're all they've got. At least they're listening now. Thanks to that old guy Casey."

"Your Aunt's beau?"

Barrett rolled his eyes. "Yeah, him. You know what Cid?"

"What's that?"

"I have no problem fighting Sephiroth or working in the fields, but when it comes to leading the people, I don't know what's right from left. And I hate to say it, but I think Rufus ShinRa knew what he was doing?"

"What, being a corrupt politician?"

"Well, that too, but he knew how to talk to the people. That's a gift I sure as hell don't have and you don't either."

"That's why you wish Tifa or Reeve was here now. Yeah, I hear ya. Give me a work crew to build a ship, and I can lead like nobody's business. Give me a country to run, and I'll drive it into the ground."

"Midgar's already run into the ground, maybe you could be the Mayor of Midgar," Barrett patted Cid on the back.

"Yeah and I'll make you Deputy Mayor of Midgar so us two working men can make a mess out of the whole political system."

"Shit Cid, it already is a mess. When you're wishing for a ShinRa to come back, then you know that things are bad."

"Could be worse," Cid shrugged.

"How?"

"Rufus ShinRa could still be alive and waiting to take over the government."

Barrett stared blankly at Cid. "Don't play me Cid. I know I gave the man some praise earlier but if he was still alive, that'd be really messed-up."

* * *

Reeve stared at the reports on his desk in frustration. It was the same requests that he had been fielding ever since he was made President. Only now, the requests were getting more urgent and more demanding. They all wanted the same thing, the one item that supposedly made the world go round: money. Sadly, all of ShinRa's accounts were still frozen until one of two things: either they produced the body of Rufus ShinRa or the real Rufus ShinRa came back. Easier said than done.

"Mark, any luck on finding me more funds?"

"I've been able to dip into some emergency funds that had been set-up by Rufus before he went AWOL. Luckily for us, that will sustain our troops and provide for all of the necessities, but I'm still working on trying to sort out all of these bogus claims for money," the young banker said.

It was those bogus claims that were giving Reeve a splitting headache. Even though the Turks had nullified the threat of the ShinRa-King organization, it turned out that Nick King was a busy boy using the ShinRa name to rack up several expenses to be paid by the government. Under normal circumstances, these claims would have been thrown out and all the vendors would have been called foolish and naïve to give services to a man who clearly had no affiliation with ShinRa. But these were desperate times and desperate times called for desperate measures.

The news article about John ShinRa didn't help the situation either. It only fueled the fire that there were men fathered by the late Augustus ShinRa and who held more sway over ShinRa's funds than he did. It didn't matter that the Turks had successfully gotten the reporter to recant her story. Once the article was published, the raging fire of suspicion couldn't be quelled by a few simple words. The people didn't need this sense of distrust when he was doing everything in his power to make things right. It helped that Reeve wasn't a ShinRa so that more people placed his trust in him, but on the flip side many people didn't support him because he wasn't a ShinRa. There was simply no way to please everybody.

"Daddy, are you okay?"

Reeve peaked over to where his daughter and wife, Mel were playing only a few feet away. He couldn't bring his work home since he didn't have a real home anymore, but that didn't mean that he couldn't bring home to work. "I'm fine sweetie. Just a little frustrated."

"Don't be sad Daddy. Mommy and I have been helping in Junon. We opened up a big building where all of the kids can play. I made a lot of new friends."

"Ah yes, the new youth hostel," Reeve said with a wink to Mel. "I'm sure your new friends are very happy where they are, right?"

Sara smiled brightly with a nod. "I told them all that my Daddy helped open the place and my Mommy was going to help take care of everyone."

"Thanks sweetheart. I appreciate it," Reeve smiled at his daughter before turning to address his wife. "So the youth hostel is all up and running now?"

"Yes, thanks to your help. We have a small group of volunteers that will sustain the building for about a month or so. At least until we can get more funding. I know that things are tight so take your time. You know that I'm working for free and the workers at the night shift are retirees who have no qualms helping out, but in the long term . . ."

"In the long term, the hostel won't be able to stay open without proper funds," Reeve finished for her. "I know Mel. Hopefully Mark and I can figure something out, but the ShinRas' were very prudent when it came to who was able to spend their money."

Mark Baker held back a laugh. "Anal retentive is probably the more correct term."

"They're not the only ones," Reeve said under his breath as he fingered through the various fraudulent or over-priced invoices. "Any ideas on other ways to increase our funds?"

"Legally? Afraid not. Private donations from Dio and other wealthy businessmen have been helpful, but with tens of thousands of dollars being held up in this ShinRa-King mess, our hands are tied until the claims are resolved," Mark said as he glared at his notes.

"Ah, my kingdom for a ShinRa," Reeve muttered as he buried his head in his arms on the desk.

"Daddy, why do you need a ShinRa?" Reeve's daughter Sara asked.

Reeve looked up and smiled as he ruffled her hair. "I'm just stressed out about how I'm going to help pay for the hostel that Mommy's working so hard on and a ShinRa would help."

"Why don't you ask everyone for help paying for the hostel? That way people who want to help can," Sara said with such simple innocence.

"That's a great idea sweetie. Too bad it doesn't help Daddy with all of the bad men who are asking for money."

"You know what my teacher used to do back in Costa Del Sol? She would put the picture and names of all of the students who did something bad and put them on the board in the front of our classroom. Maybe you could do something like that?"

Reeve paused as he processed everything his daughter said. "Mark, what's your thought about that idea?"

"I rather like it. I'd have to run it by Legal of course, but if we can pull it off, I think it would be satisfying if not effective."

"Expose the rats and they'll be run off, right?" Mel added wryly.

Reeve hugged Sara who beamed proudly at the help she gave. "Leave it to an idea from an eight-year old to bring corruption to its knees."

"It's actually kind of brilliant. Public humiliation is probably the worse form of punishment for businesses who need consumer support. It will still need a lot of tweaking. I don't think simply posting the names of all the vendors in the newspapers will do the trick. We'll need transparency in order for this to work. No one fully trusts ShinRa, but they trust philanthropic endeavors, especially those helping children. Use that as the crutch to get the money-grubby vendors off of our backs by getting the public to support the hostel and renounce the vendors," Mark said as he scribbled notes furiously down on his notepad.

"I'm sure that Legal could help you with that. They're not called money-grubbing lawyers for nothing. Also, get my assistant Chris Johnson over in Midgar involved. He'll know the best way to bring the PR bit into this," Reeve said feeling almost giddy with excitement. He always excelled at problem solving. Figuring out the solution to an intricate puzzle always gave him a buzz and this was no different. His victory high was suddenly replaced by something else much more pleasant.

Melissa gently rubbed her hands into her husbands' shoulders as she spoke, "You looked like you needed this."

"Thanks Mel," Reeve said as he placed one of his hands on top of hers.

"You know, I never really knew what you did in the office all of the time. I don't think I ever understood why you enjoyed working in the stuffy corporate or political world. But watching you do your job, I think I understand it a little bit. I could never do what you do, but at least I know why you have a passion for it."

Reeve squeezed his wife's hand as he smiled. "I'm glad we see eye-to-eye now. I don't really want to go back to the way things were before everything happened. I've become spoiled being able to see you and Sara everyday. A guy could get used to this kind of thing."

"As long as the world of politics won't keep you away from me for too long, I won't mind," Mel said as she wrapped her arms around Reeve's neck.

The two remained in those positions comfortably for a few minutes, shutting out the world outside. They were still working on their marriage. The tragedy of Meteor had helped bring them back together, but this conversation had given them both an understanding that healed many fissures in their relationship. Working together was what they needed to do to keep themselves from falling apart.

* * *

He hoped that if he ignored her long enough, she would go away. He was busy working with Eric Rivers and Chris Johnson to finalize the plans for the resettlement of Midgar's citizens. The tunnel was ready for mass evacuations and the Wutai soldiers in Fort Condor had already set-up a settlement for the influx of refugees. Emperor Godo's kindness was truly a blessing. There were some concerns at first about whether there were any tensions between the Wutai and Midgar's army, but once they met Eric all of those fears seemed to dissipate. It helped that Eric had remembered the lessons in Wutainese that his mother had taught him. Thomas had known that Eric was very knowledgeable about Wutai culture, but didn't know until today that his mother had been Wutainese. Apparently, Eric had been embarrassed about his mother's heritage when he first started working for the company. The war against Wutai had already ended by the time he joined ShinRa, but the animosity hadn't. The air would never be completely clear between Midgar and Wutai, but at least there was a start.

Of course, the challenges we had to face were only beginning. Thanks to the woman whom Thomas was still trying to ignore, the refugees and citizens of Kalm were ambivalent about receiving assistance from ShinRa. That's where the Wutai soldiers also came as a godsend as the refugees felt more comfortable with the foreign helpers.

"So it looks like I'll stay over in Fort Condor to keep the peace between Wutai and Midgar while Thomas works over here on the Kalm side and Chris heads to Junon to help Reeve, does that all sound right?" Eric asked as he looked over his notes.  
"That sounds about right," Thomas answered.

Chris nodded his head in confirmation. "I'm getting picked-up by some ShinRa guards in a few minutes for the transfer to Junon."

"Great. We all have our PHS so if we need to get in touch with one another. Well, let's make history boys," Eric said before giving both Thomas and Chris a firm handshake.

"Be careful," Thomas said to his coworkers.

He kept his gaze on their departing backs, wanting to delay the inevitable meeting that was going to take place. She was still there staring desperately at him. It was unfortunate how their almost-relationship disintegrated so quickly. Perhaps it was for the best. Physical attraction alone was not enough to build a stable relationship, even if there was an emotional and intellectual connection. Thomas had no doubts that what he once imagined, once hoped could happen between him and Autumn were nothing more than mere flights of fancy: an impossible dream.

Stealing a melancholy look at the new ShinRa guard posted to protect him, he turned towards Autumn and spoke, "what do you want?

"I'm really sorry about Pete," Autumn whispered.

Her hair looked unkempt as if she hadn't bothered to brush it in days. The sincerity of her words and the desperation in her eyes were almost enough to make him forgive her, but then he remembered the ache in his heart when he held Pete in his arms as he took his last breath. Nothing, not even Autumn, could make him forget that.

"He'd probably still be here if it weren't for you."

"I know. I truly am sorry," Autumn pleaded.

"It's a little too late to be sorry, don't you think?" He was being cruel, but he was hurt. And as all people who are hurt do, they find someone else to hurt so they're not the only ones in pain.

"Tom, why do you have to make this harder for me? I thought we were friends . . . I thought you liked me."

"I did like you. I thought you were beautiful and you really are. But then you go and do something like this and . . . I just don't know anymore," Thomas choked on his words.

"Can we at least be friends?"

It took him sometime to finally answer. "I don't know. Look, I need to check-up on things with Mayor Wildman. We'll talk about this later or something, okay?"

"Okay," Autumn meekly replied.

She watched dejectedly as he walked away from her. The guilt she was feeling ate her soul like a parasite, threatening to leave her limp and lifeless. She hadn't felt so insignificant in a long, long time. All of the walls she had built up around her were crumbling down, leaving her exposed. Sadly, she didn't have the energy or the desire to try and build them back-up. But she feared that she lost her chance to find that little piece of happiness. She knew she'd never find a man like him again and it was all her fault. She had made a mistake, leaving her with a lonely outlook. Regret was a harsh mistress.

Strangers walked by her with blank faces as Autumn stood rooted to the ground. They all ignored her walking by her as if she were invisible. She was lost in the sea of her own thoughts, unrecognizable as the woman she once was grasping onto the little hope she had left. _Maybe, just maybe, I'll write that novel he wanted me to write. And there, I'll make the heroine right the wrongs she had done. And maybe he'll keep his promise and read it, and see that I'm truly sorry_._ Maybe._

* * *

A/N: Just in case anyone is interested, I have a poll on my profile page for everyone to vote on the next story I should write after I finish WJS.


	37. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Chapter 37: The Truth Will Set You Free**

A crowd was gathering in front of the ShinRa headquarters in Junon. Men of varying ages and sizes shouted back up at the tall concrete building hoping that their voices would be heard. Some men wore pristine suits with badly-dyed blond hair. Others were in rags or whatever clothing was on their back. They came from all walks of life, no one person appearing to know the other. But despite their differences they all claimed the same thing: that they were Rufus ShinRa.

Standing on the twentieth floor overlooking the crowd from the balcony, the Turks stared down in a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"So Reno, what do we do with all of these people?" Clubs asked.

"I don't know. Maybe if we throw down some treats, they'll do tricks," Reno joked.

"Dude, seriously? I think I have a candy-bar here. Let's see what happens."

Elena slapped Clubs on the wrist before he could throw the candy-bar over the railing. "Stop that." Unfortunately, she didn't notice Hearts clearing his throat before hocking a lugie down towards the crowd. The spittle landed squarely on top of someone's head as the rest of the Turks looked on in a mixture of disgust and amusement.

"That was sweet. Now it's my turn," Clubs said before hocking his own lugie.

The only female member of the Turks looked on in horror as her teammates were trying to see who could hit the most people in the crowd.

"So is this what a Turk does all of the time?" Sol asked in morbid fascination.

"No!" Elena protested.

"Let them live a little. Besides, it's good target-practice and team-building," Walt chuckled. "Go ahead Sol, show the big boys what you've got."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Why do I even bother? I don't even want to know what Reeve would think if he saw this."

"I'd think that I must be insane," Reeve's voice answered from the balcony doorway. General Matthews followed closely behind as both men shook their heads at the immature display. "I trust you guys with my life and you all generally do a good job, but it's times like these where I question myself."

"Just a little R&R, boss. Don't want the natives to get restless ya know?" Reno said.

"I think you're a little late for that one," General Matthews responded as he eyed the crowd in the street. "We wanted to ask if you had gotten any leads as to the whereabouts of Rufus ShinRa."

Elena sighed. "Nothing verifiable. All we've got are the posers, the quacks and the crazies claiming to be Rufus ShinRa. Of course, after the incident with the Junon Star's article, now we're swamped with claims."

"Do you think any of the people down there could be the real Rufus ShinRa?" Reeve asked Elena.

"Doubtful. According to the report from the soldiers who last saw Rufus ShinRa, he had dyed his hair brown. Everyone down there has blond-hair."

"Do you think that he could have re-dyed his hair back to blond, Elena?" Diamonds asked.

"Too conspicuous," Hearts said.

"Not his style," Rude added.

"So the curtains don't match the drapes?" Clubs said more to himself. "Wow, I'm trying to imagine it and he would look weird naked."

Spades slapped Clubs up-side the head. "Idiot."

"Hey, now that's an idea. Check to see if the curtains don't match the drapes," Reno laughed.

"Reno! Are you suggesting we pull down the pants of every brown-haired, blue-eyed male over six feet tall to check if his pubic hair is blonde?" Elena screamed.

"To put it bluntly, yeah," Reno answered with a shrug.

Elena shook her head. "Isn't that illegal and unethical?"

"Well if you do it, I'm sure no one would complain," Reno said with a wink.

"We're not doing that," Reeve said. "Some of these complications could have been solved if we had Nick King alive right now."

"Sorry boss-man, we got a little excited," Reno said.

Walt raised his hand. "Yeah, my fault. Didn't know you wanted him alive."

"What's done is done. Now I want you all to focus on figuring out what to do with the obvious fakes. And no killing anyone," Reeve pleaded.

"Sure thing. When do you want the vermin run off the grounds?" Reno asked.

"By this evening if at all possible. Tifa called and is bringing her group back from hunting Chaos. She says that she has something important, but won't say what yet."

"Tifa's coming?" Rude asked.

Reno rubbed Rude's head as he laughed. "We're going to have to get you ready to see your little crush."

"Who's this Tifa? Is she hot?" Clubs asked.

"Clubs! Behave yourself!" General Matthews barked.

Clubs immediately stood at attention. "Sir!"

"Show a little more respect for Ms. Lockheart. She's one of the AVALANCHE members who took down Sephiroth and saved your sorry ass from imminent doom."

"Sorry sir. Won't happen again sir," Clubs saluted.

Reeve turned to Reno. "So you set on your marching orders?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"I'll leave you to your devices then. And remember, no killing."

The Turks watched as President Reeve and General Matthews left the balcony. Clubs was still standing at attention while the rest of the Turks leaned lazily against the railing. Walter watched the retreating men in mild curiosity.

"Reno, question." Walter said.

"Answer."

"Did you ever fight Tifa Lockheart?"

"Oh, yes. Many a time," Reno sighed wistfully. "The woman's got legs."

"How did she fight?"

"Lots of punches and kicks. Great in hand-to-hand combat. But that's not the best thing. The best thing is that she wears this form-fitting white shirt, a black mini-skirt and combat boots," as Reno gestured with his hands to give everyone a visualization of her assets.

Elena rolled her eyes as the younger Turks hung onto Reno's every word.

Walter wasn't interested in Reno's physical description of her. He closed his eyes visualizing the type of fighting style she most-likely had. "She was Zangan's pupil, wasn't she?"

"Yes," Rude confirmed.

"Well, I look forward to meeting her," Walter said with a hint of remorse.

Reno looked at the older Turk seriously. "Walt, you're not thinking of _that_, are you?"

"Don't know Reno. Things are a little different now that I've got Sol to train. But she should know the truth."

"She might kill you when she finds out, but then that's sort of the point, right? A warrior's death."

"If Zangan taught her well, she'll know better than to act out emotionally. But we'll have to see. Maybe I'll wait a few more years before I call it my time."

"Good to hear. We like having you around you know," Reno said.

Clubs raised his hand interrupting the two older Turks. "Question. Are we going to have to kill each other in order to retire?"

Reno stared at Clubs blankly. "Dude, were you dropped as a child?"

* * *

She had been avoiding him all day. It was partly for personal reasons and partly because she was afraid of what he was going to say to her once they were alone. Which was why Tifa was huddled near Yuffie chatting away with the young girl. Tifa needed a distraction to keep herself from thinking about _him_.

"Is your stomach feeling any better?"

"Yeah it is. I think talking to you is helping. Probably distracting me from all of the moving and rocking."

"We'll be in Junon soon. Then I'm sure that we won't be going on any adventures for a while."

"But what about Rufus ShinRa? Don't we need to track him down?"

"Reeve is going to take care of that. Once we meet up, I'm sure he'll take care of everything."

"Are Cid and Barret going to be there?"

"Honestly, I don't know. They might be busy with the recovery efforts at Midgar."

"We should tell them about Vincent and Cloud."

"You're right, we should. Too bad the whole gang wasn't there to see them in person."

"Yeah, I know," Yuffie paused and smiled to herself before speaking. "It was good that you got to see Cloud again, right?"

Tifa smiled. "Yeah. It was good to feel him again; to know that he's always going to be there."

"Aeris, Vincent and Cloud. I can't believe we lost them all."

"Hey Yuffie? Do you think it's possible to be in love with two people at the same time?" Tifa asked suddenly.

"Are you talking about Cloud?"

Tifa was about to speak, but the answer died on her lips.

Yuffie sat thoughtfully before answering. "Well, probably. I know that I love my parents, even though Mom's gone, I still love her. I know that I love everyone in AVALANCHE and my chocobo Maru. I love the little girl Marlene and Aeris's mother Elmyra. I love all of these people and can't really think of favoring one over the other. Is that sort of what you mean?"

"Not really. But it makes sense. I think Cloud was in love with both of us. He had to be because everyone was in love with Aeris. She was like that. She brought out the best in everybody, especially Cloud. I don't think I ever got to thank her for helping Cloud break out of his shell."

"But, weren't you the one who put Cloud back together in the lifestream?"

"I was, but when I was there, I thought I felt her cheering me on. Telling me to help Cloud find his real self, something that she said only I could do. I think she loved him just as much as I loved him. I think she wanted us to be happy together, but . . . but he's with her now." Tifa closed her eyes as a smile graced her lips. "I'm glad."

Yuffie gazed at Tifa's face before cautiously asking, "Do you think you're ready to move on? I'm sure there are a few young and available men out there ready and willing to win your heart."

"Of that I have no doubt. But the man suitable for me has some big shoes to fill. I don't think I could settle for anyone who wasn't as great as Cloud was."

"Man Tifa, that's going to be pretty tough. So," Yuffie asked slyly. "Have any guys in mind?"

Tifa turned her head to face the wall. "I'm not telling."

Yuffie tried to get a glimpse of Tifa's face, but the older woman kept shaking her head from side-to-side. "Oh, come on Tifa. You know you can trust me."

"I'm still not telling. Besides, it's complicated."

"It's complicated? He's not one of those guys with three wives or anything is he?"

"What? No!"

"Just joking Tifa. I know that you wouldn't go for any guys like that. But still . . . who is it?" Yuffie said as she perked her ears.

"I promise I'll tell you eventually. But I have to be sure. There are a lot of things that need to happen before I can say for certain," Tifa said.

"Okay, but you better let me know right away once you've made your decision."

While the two women chatted and laughed in the hanger, Rufus stared out from the bridge of the Highwind. His mind was going through all of the different scenarios in which to broach the subject of his true identity to Tifa, but the biggest problem he had was getting around to talking to her. He didn't want to admit it, but he was afraid of confessing so he had been avoiding her. However, he knew that if he delayed addressing the situation until they reached Junon, it would be too late. So that's why ever since he boarded the Highwind he had been staring at nothing in particular mustering the courage to act.

The intercom blared, "We'll be arriving in Junon in thirty minutes."

Rufus jumped at the sound and clenched his fist in frustration. He was running out of time. The sound of laughter suddenly permeated the bridge as Tifa and Yuffie entered wearing similar smiles of giddiness.

"I can't believe that's what he said to you! Are you going to meet up with him back at Gold Saucer once everything's settled?"

"Of course! Ace is totally rufus!"

Rufus sighed, reminded of why he needed to talk to Tifa. Walking towards the two women, he straighten up his back and spoke, "Tifa, could I have a word with you?"

"Sure, what did you want to say?" Tifa asked him while she stayed rooted in the crowded bridge.

"Um, in private."

Tifa's eyes widened as she nodded her head and walked towards a secluded section of the Highwind. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about something I've been holding in for a while now. I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid of the consequences and now that we're almost to Junon, I need to tell you now."

Tifa raised her hand to stop him. "John, now is not the time. I think I have a feeling on what you're about to confess and . . . well, I know already. In fact, I probably should have always known. Once we reach Junon and we have our meeting with Reeve, then we'll talk more."

Rufus looked at her in confusion. "You know?"

"Yes, you confessed to me last night at Cosmo Canyon. I have to admit, I was taken aback, but I guess I can see it," Tifa said avoiding any eye contact.

He was about to ask her what it was that he said that night when she placed her fingers on his lips.

"We will talk about this. But I'm just not ready yet. After the meeting with Reeve, I promise." Tifa then walked out of the room leaving behind a stunned Rufus ShinRa.

Rufus stared at the empty space where Tifa was and wracked his brain trying to figure out exactly what he had said to her last night. For the life of him, he couldn't remember. He was told once that patience was a virtue. He had never claimed to be a very virtuous man and this predicament was certainly pushing the boundaries of that. Left with no choice, Rufus was going to have to wait.

* * *

One-by-one, the large crowd of men that were in front of ShinRa's headquarters were leaving the area in disappointment and embarrassment. Each and every person who claimed they were Rufus ShinRa had to be put through a few tests, courtesy of the Turks. Over half of them failed the first test and the other half failed Reno and Rude's intense questions. They were slowly getting rid of the crowd as ordered and no one had gotten killed yet.

Walter and Sol were staring at the proceedings in a secure location as the older Turk quizzed his young apprentice.

"What do you see when you look at all of those men down there?"

"That they're trying too hard," Sol said.

"How exactly?"

"They're trying to look like the person they think Rufus ShinRa is, but all of them are only getting the surface image down. Take that guy over there," Sol pointed. "He's wearing the exact same suit that Rufus ShinRa wore before he went missing, but it doesn't make sense for him to even have the suit given all of the information we know about his disappearance. And none of them look remotely confident in themselves. It's all an act."

"Very good Sol. Now if Rufus ShinRa were to walk up to these doors and try to return to ShinRa, how do you think he would do it?"

"First off, he wouldn't be waiting in line to get tested by the Turks like everyone else is doing. He would walk right up to Reno and Rude and tell them who he was without breaking eye-contact. Most of those guys down there can't even stare Reno in the eyes for more than a few seconds."

Walter pat Sol on the back. "I knew you were a smart one. Now last question to see if your analytical skills are any good. Why do you think we're going through all of this effort to test all of these fakes if it's obvious from the get-go that they're not the real Rufus ShinRa?"

Sol smirked. "Because these guys all feel like they have something to prove, even if they know the Turks would never let them set foot in the building. If we don't give them that slim chance, then they'll never leave thinking that we never disproved their identity."

After several more minutes, the final Rufus impersonator was turned away and the Turks made their way back into the building.

"So, did you guys learn anything?" Reno asked the four new recruits.

"Yeah, it's much more fun to kill someone's ego than it is to kill them," Hearts said.

"That's right my psychopathic friend. A Turks' got to be strong not just physically, but mentally too."

Spades snorted. "Looks like Clubs is screwed."

"And that's also why Turks always get partnered up with someone to make-up for anything the other partner lacks," Elena stated.

Reno smirked. "And as we all know, Elena could get partnered up with any one of us guys because of what she lacks."

"Pervert."

"You only say that because you know me so well."

Elena was about to deliver a retort when her phone rang with a call from General Matthews. She quickly answered it and then turned to her teammates after getting all of the information. "Looks like the Highwind has been spotted on the horizon. We're to report to the roof to meet up with it when it touches down. Come on boys, let's not keep the President waiting."

She moved down the hallway with nary a glance behind her as she walked with confidence and purpose. The males watched in appreciation how the female suit accentuated her backside.

"So, when do I get to be partnered with her?" Diamonds asked.

Reno answered tersely. "Never. Elena's special. She gets to be in a threesome with me and Rude. And if she ever does get partnered with any one of you, it's only temporary. Got that?"

Everyone nodded their heads, not daring to disagree with the Leader of the Turks. Especially when it was one of the few times Reno had given them that look. They hadn't been Turks for long, but it wasn't hard to tell when the normally laid-back Turk was dead serious.

* * *

It was a nostalgic feeling landing in Junon. He hadn't been back since he first assumed the role of John Woolfe. He didn't know if any of the guards that had been watching him when he portrayed his half-brother would still recognize him. The last time he checked in the mirror, the brown-dye was slowly starting to fade and his roots had come in, giving him a completely different look. He was a changed man.

Watching the landing platform get closer as he stood on the deck of the Highwind, he knew what he needed to do. It wasn't going to be easy and he hated to think of what Yuffie and Tifa would think when he finally revealed his true identity. They wouldn't look at him the same way, he was sure of it. But reminiscing on the adventures he had and the time he spent with them, no matter how short, put a smile on his face. If he could he'd do it again.

He let his eyes wander to Tifa as she gazed out the main window. There were so many things that he wished he could say to her right now; so many questions left unanswered. He only hoped that she wouldn't completely hate him after what he was about to do. Rufus committed her peaceful expression to memory fearing it would be the last time he'd see it. Once the Highwind completed docking, he walked off the bridge wanting to get everything over and done with; because he didn't want to see the expression on her face when she learned who he really was.

The first thing that Rufus noted once he debarked the airship was that the Turks had recruited. That was something he had had on his agenda, but the entire Sephiroth debacle put that idea on the back-burner. The second was that Reno and Rude looked like they were taking their friendship to an entirely new level. Rude could do the bald look, but not Reno. Finally, the most important thing was the curious expression that Reno was giving him. Rufus knew it was probably best to start with him since he knew him the best.

"Hello Reno. Looks like you've been keeping busy with the Turks. The bald look doesn't suit you though," Rufus said.

The Leader of the Turks eyed the dirty-blond-haired man standing before him. There was a familiarity about him that was unmistakable. "Do I know you?"

"Get your head out of your ass Reno and take a good look at me."

Reno's eyes widened as he recognized that no-nonsense stare only one person ever gave him. "Rufus? Holy shit-on-a-stick! Rufus! It's really you!"

The scene following Reno's proclamation was nothing short of chaotic. Rude and Elena both looked at him with a quizzical eye as well as General Matthews. Reeve somehow looked relieved while the rest of the ShinRa military looked on in confusion. He could hear Yuffie cursing in various forms of Wutainese in the background. But the most puzzling sight to him was the silent and stoic Tifa who stared at him passively. He could take anger, he could take surprise or hurt, but Rufus wasn't sure what to make of her blank expression.

He wasn't given any more time to think about Tifa as General Matthews and Reeve both came up to him.

"Rufus ShinRa I presume? General Matthews. We've met before," General Matthews shook his hand.

"Ah yes, I remember meeting you here in Junon. You became a Four-star General during the ShinRa-Wutai War, correct?"

General Matthews smiled at the accurate statement. "I'm glad that you at least know who I am. However, I didn't earn my rank taking things at face-value. A few tests are in order."

"I'm glad that you take your job seriously General," Rufus said expecting to be tested to ascertain his true identity. Honestly, if they had handed him the reigns without a thorough interview to confirm it was him, he would have fired those responsible on the spot. "What tests do you have for me to prove my identity?"

General Matthews, Reeve and Reno all exchanged looks before turning to Rufus. "Reno and the Turks have an intricate vetting process set-up to weed out the obvious impersonators. After that I'll have a simple test with the final test conducted by Reeve. Are we ready to begin?"

"I was born ready."

The tests began with multiple questions that only those in the inner circle of ShinRa's government would know about. He also answered personal questions of the Turks that only he would know. Rufus almost mentioned that he knew Reno had a daughter, but decided against it after he remembered how she passed away. He had convinced them enough, there was no need to dredge up any painful memories if they served no purpose.

General Matthews was impressed with how easily he had passed the first test, but there were still two more tests. Handing Rufus a standard issued ShinRa guard rifle, he asked him to shoot three targets in the air. Rufus smirked as he took the gun and fired at the targets on command as they were tossed up. It was only natural that General Matthews had access to his marksmanship records. Two down; one to go. As Reeve approached, Rufus wondered what sort of test the ShinRa executive had for him.

"The last test is going to require us to head into headquarters. If you could follow me."

The entourage walked past all of the offices and cubicles of all the low-level workers. Rufus fully expected Reeve to lead him to the President's office, but instead found himself in the middle of the finance department. In front of him was a computer with a password entry screen. A man that he recognized as the son of the head of ShinRa's banking system stood at attention.

The man extended his hand to greet him. "Rufus ShinRa I hope? I'm Mark Baker, the new head of the banks for ShinRa. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Rufus replied. He didn't have to guess how Mark came to take over his father's position. Rufus was intimately familiar with inheritance through death.

"If you've reached this far, then it's time to administer the last test. President Anderson instructed me that this was going to be the most important one. All we need is for you to input the key password known only by President Rufus ShinRa to open up the ShinRa accounts."

"This test is the most crucial," Reeve spoke. "Currently, we're at an impasse in regards to funding many of the recovery and rebuilding efforts after Meteor. Our emergency funds are nearly depleted and without access to the normal cash flow of the company, we'll be out of resources. So for your sake and the sake of the entire world, I hope that you are who you say you are."

Rufus nodded his head in understanding. He hadn't known that the situation had gotten so dire. As exciting and liberating as the past few weeks of being inconspicuous had been, the company and the world needed him. His fingers moved with certainty as they typed: W001f3. He'd never forget his mother's maiden name or the fact that it was the password he encrypted after his ascension to President.

A cry of relief echoed through the room as the password was accepted. Rufus barely registered the field of questions that were being fired his way. His eyes were planted solely on the figure staring back at him with resigned defeat. The look in her eyes gave it all away. She knew. He didn't know how long she had known, but if he had to guess, it started the night at Cosmo Canyon. She suddenly turned away from the room and rushed past the Turks.

"Tifa wait!"

Rufus ignored everyone as he pushed past the bodies around him. But there were too many people in front of him for him to get through. No sooner had he thought that he'd never make it past the sea of bodies, the Turks had cleared a path with Reno and Rude escorting him past the crowd.

"Wait, President ShinRa, where are you going? There's so much we need to do," Chris Johnson said.

"Dude, don't cock-block the Prez," Reno said.

He knew he could always trust Reno to take care of the situation. Rufus nodded his head in appreciation and smirked as the Turk returned the gesture. Then he bolted down the hallway trying to figure out where Tifa would have run off to. He didn't have to guess as he saw Elena at the end of one of the halls gesturing for him to go left, so he did. The hallways emptied out into a series of conference rooms with large open windows and sleek wood furniture. He saw Tifa in the last room looking out the window.

She looked beautiful. Rufus silently closed the distance between them and stood next to her as he stared out the window. It was a magnificent view. The ocean was laid out in all of its glory before them with hardly anything beyond the expanse of blue. He spared a glance over at Tifa who was shyly biting her lip. It was now or never.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," Tifa replied.

"So now you know who I am."

Tifa's lips curled up briefly. "Yes, you're Rufus ShinRa. You told me at Cosmo Canyon."

"So that's what I did that night. Did I say anything else?"

"If you don't remember, then it must not have been really important."

"Or that I was drunk off my ass. You want to know what the last thing was that I remember from that night?"

Tifa looked at him and briefly nodded.

Rufus licked his lips before he spoke. "I remember the firelight dancing in your eyes as we sat next to the Cosmo Candle. Your face was flushed from all of the alcohol, but it really made your skin glow. And your lips, how could I ever forget that kiss?"

She closed her eyes briefly and breathed the memory out like a whisper. Yes, how could one ever forget that kiss? Remembering where she was, Tifa turned to Rufus. "I didn't know who you were then."

"And for that, I'm sorry. But that still doesn't change any of my feelings."

"I know Rufus. I know. However, it changes mine."

Rufus stared at Tifa in hurt. "Why?"

"You confuse me now," Tifa whispered. "I don't know who you really are. There are many things that I associate with Rufus ShinRa. Negative things like trying to have me executed. Then there are all the adventures I had with John Woolfe. I don't know what to think anymore."

"I am who I am Tifa. All my actions, all of my feelings and friendship with you are the same. The only difference is my name."

"A name that carries a lot of baggage."

Rufus sighed. "I know. It'd give it all up for you if I could."

Tifa eyed him cautiously. "Why don't you?"

"Because I know that they need me. The people of this planet need me. I know you probably don't agree, but I need to put ShinRa back on it's feet."

"And what? Return ShinRa to it's former glory? Keep on sucking the life out of the planet or going around destroying innocent lives?"

"No, nothing like that. ShinRa needs to be rebuilt, but not in the way it used to be. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I'm going to give-up ShinRa, give-up the company that I was bred and raised to run. But I'm not going to run it the same way my old man did. ShinRa has blurred the line between company and government too much and it's time for me to change that. I need start laying the foundations to separate the two entities like they should be. I'll reform the government to ensure that the top officials are elected instead of born or bribed into the position. There's so much that I need to do to fix things I don't know how long it will take. Sephiroth taught me that mako energy is not the way to go and my time with you taught me that I've been out of touch with the most important aspect of the government and that's the people. Hell, I'm probably blathering things that don't make any sense to you do they?"

"No," Tifa shook her head as something in her gaze softened. "But I think I understand your intent. You want to change ShinRa in the same way that you've changed."

"Yes. That's exactly it."

Tifa choked back a laugh. "You're . . . really something you know that. One minute I'm scared and confused; then we start talking and you say something to infuriate me and then . . . and then you say the smartest things that make me really respect you. It's like I'm starting to truly understand you."

"The same could be said for you too you know?" Rufus smirked.

Tifa bit her lip to try and hide her smile. "At least I was upfront about who I was and I never dyed my hair."

"Touché. You know what Tifa, let's start over," Rufus turned around briefly and then faced her with his hand extended out in a greeting. "Hello, my name's Rufus ShinRa, pleased to meet you."

Tifa stared at Rufus's hand with a wry smile on her face before grasping it. "Hello Mr. ShinRa. I'm Tifa Lockheart. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure's all mine, I assure you."

* * *

A/N: Guess what folks. I just have the Epilogue to write now! I hope to have the last chapter to the story up by the end of this year. Have lots of story to resolve. Also, don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile for what story you want me to work on next. Though I will admit that recent events in the Naruto manga have me reassessing the original story was going to start on.


	38. Epilogue

**Chapter 38: Epilogue**

"Can't believe it's been a year already."

"I know what ya mean Cid. A year since we saved the planet from Sephiroth and a year since Spike, Aerith and Vincent died."

"Do you know if Tifa's visited the memorial yet Barret?"

"She did it first thing this morning. Spike would have been a lucky man. Do you think she's happy?"

Cid nodded. "As happy as I've ever seen her."

"I still don't understand that girl sometimes."

"Hey, you can't ever understand what a girl thinks. Trust me."

"Like you're complaining. Heck, ya even got a kid on the way. Where is Shera anyway?"

"I have her finalizing some calculations over there," Cid beamed affectionately as he pointed in her direction.

"Are you crazy Highwind, she's in a hard-hat area!"

"Shera's pregnant, not disabled!" Cid said defending his wife. "She does whatever she wants."

"Yeah, but does my Aunt know you've been letting her work on the construction site?"

"What you're Aunt don't know won't hurt her."

"Cid Highwind!" A loud voice boomed over the sound of all of the construction workers.

"I think you spoke too soon," Barret said as he back away from the looming figure of his Aunt Donna.

Donna glared down at Cid. "Highwind! You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"This is a hard-hat area woman! You can't be in here."

"Then you better get your pregnant wife outta here."

"For Christ's sakes, Shera's pregnant not dying. She can handle it!"

The noise and commotion caught the attention of the entire construction crew. They all paused from their work to stare and gawk at the mighty Cid Highwind getting chewed out by a nurse while Barret tried to placate the pair. Shera Highwind observed the scene with a fond smile on her face as she placed a hand on her stomach. It seemed that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

* * *

"I'm here live at the center of the newly built town of Edge in front of the Midgar memorial where President Rufus ShinRa is going to be giving a speech commemorating the first anniversary of the Meteor incident with a huge announcement to the world. With me are several spectators who have gathered for the announcement," the reporter said as she turned towards a couple. "Please introduce yourselves to the TV audience and let us know why you're here today?"

The man looked at the camera nervously before the woman beamed brightly and answered. "My name is Tina Lynn and this is my husband Mike. We're here because we moved into Edge after getting married a few months ago."

The reporter smiled. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you."

"So I take it that you two are excited and curious about the President's speech?"

Mike stepped in to answer. "Yes, we're very excited. We both went through a lot when the Meteor incident took place and with all of the chaos that happened afterwards. We're just glad that we've been able to have a life after everything happened and can now look back on how things were versus how they are now."

"And they're a lot better now, aren't they?" The reporter asked.

"Oh yes, much better," Tina answered as she smiled at her husband.

"So any ideas on what the President is going to talk about today?"

Mike smiled knowingly before replying, "No comment."

"Oh, it seems like you have a little insider information?"

Tina laughed. "My husband does. He works in the ShinRa Army. But he won't tell me what the speech is about. Only that it will be big."

"Well thank you two for taking the time for the interview and congratulations on getting married," the reporter then turned towards another person. "Also with me today is one of the ShinRa executives who had been an integral part of the rebuilding process here, Mr. Thomas Wheeler. Thank you for your time Mr. Wheeler."

"Thank you Ms. Trepe."

"Mr. Wheeler, could you please tell us what sort of changes have taken place in the past year?"

"We've officially condemned all of the Midgar ruins. The government and the people decided that it was best to leave the ruined city alone. There had been too many lives lost and too much damage to the former city for any rebuilding efforts. All of our rebuilding efforts are being funneled into this city, Edge."

"How is the growth in the new city?"

"It's still a work in progress. Edge isn't going to be nearly as large as Midgar once was. Many of the refugees relocated permanently to some of the bordering towns such as Fort Condor and Kalm. But thanks to the engineering skills of Cid Highwind and the hard work of Barret Wallace, Edge has been able to house about a quarter of the former residents of Midgar and it's still expanding."

"That's certainly impressive. Am I also to understand that Mr. Highwind's wife Shera Highwind has also come up with some different sources of energy?"

"You're quite right. Thanks to Mrs. Highwind, we've been able to use other sources of energy such as coal and oil, cutting our mako consumption down by a third. Our goal is to tap into other forms of renewable energy sources like solar power or hydroelectric plants to completely wean ourselves off of mako-power."

"That's an ambitious, but admirable goal. So Mr. Wheeler, are you allowed to divulge any information about the speech that President ShinRa is giving today?"

"Sorry Ms. Trepe, but I'm not going to steal the President's thunder. I will say that it will be an interesting moment and I'm sure it will change things. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few more duties to attend to before the President's speech," Thomas said as he looked into the camera.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Wheeler, it was a pleasure," the reporter extended her hand.

Thomas shook it firmly before responding. "The pleasure's all mine, Ms. Trepe."

The reporter turned towards the camera for one last time. "We have only a few more hours before the beginning of the announcement. As I'm sure you can see the town square is already filling up with people waiting for President ShinRa to arrive. I'll be here waiting to broadcast the speech as well as get people's reactions to it. Until then, this is Quistis Trepe reporting for Channel 8 news."

* * *

The screen on the old television wasn't working as well as it usually did, but that was mostly due to the number of people gathered watching the broadcast. The entire excavation crew from Bone Village crowed the television and interfered with the reception. Someone had to readjust the antennae during the entire broadcast.

But the quality of the screen did nothing to erase the vivid picture Autumn had of Thomas. He looked good: the expressiveness of his eyes showed through on the old screen. Once the broadcast finished, she decided that she hated the reporter for Channel 8 news, even if she didn't know her. Jealously was an ugly thing, but something she had to deal with because Autumn knew that if she had anyone to blame, she only needed to look in a mirror.

Unable to deal with her inner torment, she left the room to take a breather. The clean, crisp air did nothing to abate her guilt. There were too many 'what if's' running through her head.

"So that was him?" a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

Autumn faced her sister June and nodded. "That was the guy."

June scrunched her nose up in thought. "Didn't look all that good. I take it you had to meet him in person to get the full affect, right?"

"Yeah."

"You know Autumn, I'm really surprised at you. You've changed so much. You used to be such a cold-hearted bitch, but now . . . now you're just listless."

Autumn rolled her eyes. "I can still be a bitch when I want to be."

"Yeah, but not the way you used to. Did you know that my boyfriends used to piss their pants when you would interrogate them? Your very presence kept Sol in line. Now you're nothing but a wallflower and Sol finally grew a set and joined the Turks. It's mindboggling."

"I killed a man, June. That changes everything. His name was Private Peter Edinburg, survived by his mother and father living in Icicle Inn. He was only nineteen."

June placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder hoping that would ease her pain. "Sorry, I shouldn't have been so critical."

"No, it's only fair. One of us has to be the strong one."

"Do you think you'll ever get to speak to him again?"

"I hope one day I will. But it'll never be the same between us. I chose an unforgiving profession and loved every minute of it. Did you know that I got Uncle Graham fired?"

"He was fired? I thought he retired from being a coroner after the whole Meteor incident."

Autumn shook her head. "Nope, my doing."

"Is that another reason why you've been beating yourself up the past year?"

"One of many."

June looked up at the sky in deep thought. "You'll be fine Autumn. Trust me."

"How do you know?"

"You've been writing something on that computer of yours for the past few months. I know you're doing more than archiving our records. Doesn't that mean something?"

Autumn smiled at her sister's astuteness. She had been writing that novel she had mentioned to Thomas all of those months ago. "I guess it does, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does! So what are you writing?"

"It's a story about redemption, forgiveness and doing the right thing."

"I can't wait to read it when it's done."

"Thanks sis," Autumn hugged June tenderly.

"Anytime. So ready to go back to watch the rest of the broadcast?"

Autumn nodded. She wasn't quite ready to absolve herself of all of her guilt, but it was a step in the right direction.

* * *

Flipping through the magazine, Elmyra glanced over the various articles detailing the lives of different people throughout the planet. They showed a picture of Nibelheim with several residents coming clean about the ShinRa cover-up that occurred there. Apparently, the former ShinRa workers only wanted to live quietly in the mountains like they were originally ordered to do, but this time as legitimate residents. Some of them even had children who had lived their entire lives there. The picture of a little boy holding a slingshot really captured the rustic lifestyle the townsfolk embraced.

There was a separate article detailing the interesting mix of cultures and people in Fort Condor where the local residents, the Wutai ninjas and the evacuees from Midgar have found an interesting harmony. It somehow all had to do with tending to the adolescent condor that lived on the top of the fort. Elmyra smiled at the picture of a little girl named Elly standing proudly between a high ranking Wutai official; the ShinRa executive, Eric Rivers; and one of the elders of Fort Condor while a massive bird spread its wings behind them.

She skipped over the advertisement for the brand-new wave machine at Gold Saucer that featured Dio's son, Ace. But the short article featuring the chocobo Princess Angelina caught her eye. The chocobo was slated to beat all of Teioh's old records and was doing it on her own two legs.

Elmyra almost dropped the magazine when she flipped to the next page. On it was a picture of everyone who had lost their lives during the Meteor incident and her adopted daughter, Aerith, smiled back at her. She knew that they were publishing this article, but actually seeing it brought tears to her eyes. The smile never left her face as she read it. They captured everything true and pure about the girl she raised.

"Auntie Elmyra, why are you crying?"

Elmyra wiped her face as she showed the article to Marlene. "Look sweetie, it's Aerith."

"The flower lady!"

"Yes, the flower lady."

"Do you think that she and Uncle Cloud are in the lifestream? Papa says that that's where everyone goes when they pass away."

Elmyra hugged Marlene. "Yes. I'm sure that's where they are. They're in their promised land."

* * *

The flames of the Cosmo Candle burned brightly across the dusty canyon. Nanaki, son of Seto, stood proudly before the residents with his life-mate, Kaya, by his side. A full-feathered headdress adorned his mane: a symbol of the newest elder for the Canyon replacing the late Bugenhagen. It wasn't long after Sersa's death that Nanaki's grandfather followed to join the lifestream. Nanaki stood before the eyes of the past, present and future; ready to address the crowd on a day of remembrance for what once was and what will be.

"We are of the soil and of the air. We encompass everything that brought us life and can easily be revoked of that in an instant. A year ago, many of our brethren lost their lives in a catastrophe that nearly took the life of our dear planet. But we were saved and so was the planet. As we stand on this day of remembrance for all those who lost their lives, we stand here not in sadness or regret, but in happiness.

"Happiness that their memories live on in the lifestream and that one day we will all be reunited. Our loved ones are with us in the air we breathe and the water we drink. They will continue to protect us as long as we protect the planet. Bugenhagen, Sersa, Vincent Valentine, Aerith Gainsborough and Cloud Strife; they are ones close to me who have passed over the year. But today, I do not remember them for the life that they could have lived, but instead I think about the life that they are giving to us and to the planet. Remember and rejoice."

The citizens of Cosmo Canyon all bowed their heads in respect as Nanaki finished speaking. Kaya nodded her head and gave her life-mate a smile, "It was a good speech."

"It was from the heart."

"And that is why it was a good speech."

The flames of the Cosmo Candle flared causing tiny flecks of ash to float into the air like fireflies. The tiny embers danced amongst the crowd in warm gratitude before being carried away like laughter.

Nanaki smiled. "Yes, it was a good speech. And I think that those in the lifestream liked it too."

* * *

Two elderly men sat on a pair of wicker rocking chairs on the front porch of a rustic home. This was not the life that he had pictured living a year ago; in fact, he had not pictured being alive at all: until he had met her.

"More lemonade?"

Walter nodded his head. "You know, a man could get spoiled living life like this."

"Ain't nothing wrong with being a little spoiled, especially in our old age," Casey laughed.

"Did you ever picture yourself living this long? Hell, why did I even ask, of course you pictured it. It's just . . . different."

"Glad that someone actually beat some sense into ya."

Walter snorted. "Zangan chose wisely in teaching her. If anything, I think she's probably surpassed him in more than just the physical abilities. She's got a good head on her."

"She ought to. Never thought I'd see anyone ever talk you out of that damned agreement with Zangan. Blasted, meat-headed fools the both of ya."

"You never worked out in the field. It was all paper-pushing for you."

"Yeah, well, like a damned good anything you or I did for the company. At least the younger folk are fairing better," Casey said.

"They're carving out their own path by learning from what us old-timers have gone through rather than copying it. Have you heard the plans?"

"Yep. Rufus and Reeve ran it by me a while back. I tell ya, the company should have been split up a long time ago. There were times when I never knew if we were a corporation or a government."

"Business is business. Politics is politics. What more of a differentiation do you need?"

"It never was that easy to tell when we were still working. Never thought I'd see the day when something like Rufus's plan would ever happen," Casey sighed. "You probably never did either. Say. What did she say to you that day to make you change your mind?"

Walter closed his eyes as he spoke. "She told me that Zangan had written to her telling her how he could barely jump or move like he used to. He wanted his death because there was no more fight left in his body. Then she took one good look at me and said that I still had fight. My old bones weren't done yet and she was right."

Casey nodded his head. "Guess I gotta find something to keep you alive and kicking."

"I've already got a project that's been keeping me on my toes."

"Oh, what's that?"

"New recruits," Walter smirked.

The old friends shared a laugh as they reminisced about old times. It would be a ritual that they shared with each other on the wooden porch in Kalm until the day they passed on without much of a fight.

* * *

"So, do we need to go over everything again?" Reno asked as he sat in a plush couch with his feet propped on the coffee table.

Clubs shook his head while the remaining Turks said 'No.'

"Good, everyone has their places to keep the President covered. We'll be heading out in an hour. Sol, you go ahead and take your place in the Army and keep us apprised of any bad-mouthing."

The young teen saluted with a harmonica as he left the room whistling an old country tune Walter had taught him. The rest of the Turks sat in the lounge lazily waiting until it was time to secure the perimeter.

"Hey Reno?" Diamonds asked.

"Yeah?"

"I know that you like the codenames that were given to us, but why do you call Sol by his real name and not us?"

Reno scrunched his brow. "Dude, what are your real names anyway?"

"Theodore," Diamonds said.

"Bob," Clubs said.

"Dick," Spades said.

Hearts looked up at Reno and answered, "Gaylord."

Reno, Rude and Elena looked at the four men and all agreed on the same thing, "we're sticking with the codenames."

* * *

Father and daughter stood across from each other in a rare display of familial bonding. She lifted the teapot with practiced movements as she poured a cup for her father. The silk kimono was a far cry from her typical ninja attire, but this was a special occasion.

Old eyes studied his daughter with a mixture of pride and sadness. "She'd be proud to see you like this."

Yuffie smiled. "Mom always liked dressing me up."

"I don't mean your dress, though you look like the very picture of a Wutainese princess," Godo said. "You've grown. The time you've spent away on your travels has changed you into an adult."

Yuffie blushed at the praise. She didn't want to think of herself as an adult, she hadn't even turned eighteen yet. "I'm still a young whipper-snapper who can kick your butt any day of the week."

Godo scoffed. "I'm not going to give you credit for that. I'm still the Emperor and can put you in your place if need be."

"Oh yeah? Well, who was it who negotiated with ShinRa to make it so you could regain your title as Emperor and help restore Wutai to its former glory?"

Instead of the rebuke that Yuffie anticipated, Godo smiled as he took a sip of his tea. "And that's why you've grown dear child. It's your fiery spirit and steely determination that has lead you and our country back on track. Your mother would be as proud of you as I am."

"Dad," Yuffie said as she reached out and squeezed her father's hand.

"Now if only that spirit could be used to find yourself a suitable husband."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Geez, old man, you had to bring that up didn't you. And I was just about to give you some respect."

"Sort of like that surfer boyfriend of yours? What was his name anyway? Mace, face?"

"It was Ace. Besides, we broke up a few months ago."

Godo smirked. "Good. A boy who doesn't even know how to introduce himself to his host before scavenging the kitchen is not worthy of you."

"You know, you're not the only person who's given me shit about dating him so let's just drop it okay?"

A knock at the door stopped the argument as the father and daughter plastered cordial smiles on their faces. "Enter," Godo said.

The door opened as a ShinRa trooper entered and bowed. "Emperor Kisaragi, the General that you summoned from Fort Condor has arrived."

"Excellent, please send him in. Oh, do you know how long we have before the announcement?"

"Probably another hour or so. I'll come to escort you and your party when it's time."

"Thank you," Godo bowed his head slightly, dismissing the trooper who left the room.

"Gawd, another hour? I wish I brought a magazine with me to read. So who did you summon from Fort Condor?"

"General Shake."

"That runt? I still can't believe that you made him a General."

Godo smiled knowingly. "He's grown. And it was only fitting that he became a General since he was one of the five pagoda warriors."

Yuffie brushed the comment aside. "Please, I beat all of them and you a while back. I can do it again if I wanted to."

Her father said nothing, merely drinking his tea. When he heard the knock on the door, he watched his daughter carefully as he gave the visitor permission to enter.

Yuffie watched the door open expecting to see a short kid with a child's face. Instead, what walked through the door was a tall boy with the face of one who was almost a man. Sharp eyes took in everything about the room, including her.

"Emperor Kisaragi, Princess Yuffie," General Shake greeted.

"General Shake, it is good of you to join us today. How are things at Fort Condor?"

"They are well. The natives have been more than hospitable to us and are considering having a unit of Wutai soldiers stationed there permanently along with the ShinRa soldiers," the young General answered while trying to maintain eye contact with Godo. But his eyes kept on drifting to Yuffie who still hadn't closed her mouth since she saw him enter.

Of course, this never escaped Godo's keen eyes as he watched the teenagers. "Oh, how rude of me. You both probably haven't spoken to each other in over a year, yes? Let me leave you two alone so you can catch-up while I run to the restroom."

Yuffie looked at her father with bewilderment and a bit of appreciation as her mind kept on drifting to the more muscular and hotter Shake that was in front of her. Shake blushed as he tried to conceive of how the tomboyish Yuffie could look stunning in an elegant kimono.

Before either teen could reply, Godo had left the room and closed the door with a resounding click. Outside the room, a few ShinRa troopers that were standing guard looked at the Emperor of Wutai in curiosity. Godo was walking down the hall with a grin plastered on his face as he muttered the words, "you're still thirty years too young to top me Yuffie. Too soon, too soon."

* * *

He sat staring at the document, marking it up with a pencil. The text had been edited countless times by himself, Reeve, Thomas and even Tifa. They all said that it was a good speech, but Rufus felt that there were a few parts that lacked depth and feeling. He always had been a perfectionist. After reading the document for the umpteenth time, Rufus dropped his pencil and let his eyes wander to give himself a short break.

The office that he had in Edge lacked the splendor and grandiose of his former office in the ShinRa Tower, but after everything he had been through the small room was a welcome sight. Tifa had helped him decorate it, filling it with pictures and various trinkets. There were always fresh flowers placed in a vase near the window: a tribute to Aerith Gainsborough. Next to it was the first posthumous award he had ever given as President of ShinRa. It was a framed medal and certificate honoring Cloud Strife with the official rank of SOLDIER, First Class. Tifa had a copy mailed to Nanaki so he could put it next to the Ultima Blade at Cloud's memorial.

Rufus wished that he and Cloud could have gotten a chance to know each other. Perhaps in another lifetime or in another universe they could have been friends. But that probably would have been a world where he would be leading and living another life without _her_ and that was one thing he refused to relinquish. He smiled as he heard the sound of heels clacking along the wooden floor of his office.

"Did you change the speech again?"

Rufus graciously took the steaming cup of coffee as he let his fingers linger over the delicate skin of the woman who graced his presence. "Thanks. This is just what I needed."

"What you need is to stop fretting over the speech," Tifa chided. "You're going to be giving it soon. Changing anything now will just throw you off. Of course, unless you wanted to take Reno's suggestion and start telling lewd jokes."

"Believe it or not, one of them made it into that last draft we had been working on. He had one of the Turks hack into my computer as a test of the securities and firewalls on our network."

"Let me guess, they also changed your desktop to a badly photo-shopped picture of Sephiroth's head on the body of a naked woman?"

Rufus shuddered. "They got your computer too?"

"Unfortunately. Reeve and Chris were the only ones to get by unscathed. They're already working on getting all of the computers upgraded." Tifa walked behind Rufus and rubbed his shoulders to relive any tension. "Try to relax."

"Thanks Tifa," Rufus said as he reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. He could feel her hair tickling his skin as she worked to loosen his muscles. He had fallen in love with her when her hair had been short, but now that she'd grown it out, he found himself completely at her mercy. The fact that she now wore pencil skirts and silk blouses as part of her job also helped. "Are you still thinking about that new position I offered you?"

"Maybe."

"Any word on when you'll tell me whether you accept or not?"

Tifa leaned down to wrap her arms around his neck as she rested her cheek against his. "It's a tough decision. This would be a huge change. I feel a little under-qualified as it is helping Reeve's wife with all of the new orphanages and schools. I don't know if I'm ready for any new responsibility."

"The title would only stay for two years at most while we remain in transition."

"That's only assuming that you and Reeve aren't voted in to continue serving."

"A lot can happen in two years. I doubt that I'd be able to change my image that much that people would be willing to vote for me in a general election, don't forget the fact that this would be the first general election to vote for the leader of the only governing body on the Eastern Continent."

Tifa moved to face Rufus as she spoke. "You're wrong about that. In case you haven't noticed, the people love the new you . . . I love the new you."

Rufus smiled as he rubbed the empty space on Tifa's left hand. "But not enough to give me an answer yet. You could be the premier First Lady of the World Regenisis Organization. It's groundbreaking."

She smiled shyly as she bent down to give him a kiss. "You know I'm not the type to marry you for the title. It's precisely because of the title that I'm not sure."

Rufus pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "You know I would give all of this up for you, right? You need only say so and I'd do it."

"I know. But I'm not a selfish woman. You're the type of man that needs to be in a position of power to guide people. It's your gift. I could never take that away from you, especially when the world is in dire need of someone to help lead."

"Then I won't run when the time comes for elections. I'll just say that I'm the transitional President and nothing more. Reeve can run and pick someone else as his VP."

Tifa shook her head. "You and Reeve make a great team. And if you both are going to do as well as I think you will it would stall the progress that you're trying to create."

"What would you have me do to make you say 'yes'?" Rufus asked.

"Simply leave out the titles. I don't want to be known as the First Lady of anything."

"Then what do you want to be called?"

Tifa smiled. "Your wife."

Rufus chuckled. It was such a simple request he should have figured it out long ago. "Consider it done. So now will you agree to marry me?"

"Yes."

"Good, because I'm tired of keeping this ring in my pocket. I'd rather see it on you," he said as he took out a diamond ring. It was fashioned to resemble the one her mother used to wear. By itself, the ring seemed to be a far cry from the tastes of the most powerful man in the world; but once it fit snugly to Tifa's finger, the ring bore an elegance and grace in its simplicity.

They kissed with a renewed passion. It was a kiss that simmered on the edge of molten desire, but was kept in check by their professional demeanor. It simply wouldn't do to have Rufus ShinRa give a global broadcast with lipstick smeared on his lips and his hair looking like he had had a romp with his fiancée on his desk.

"We should stop. You need to get ready now," Tifa said in a breathy whisper.

Rufus took a deep breath. "Right. It's time now."

"It is."

Tifa reluctantly disentangled herself from Rufus while he straightened his suit. Gathering his papers, he adjusted his tie and ran his fingers through his hair. "How do I look?"

Tifa smirked. She flicked a few loose strands of his perfectly combed hair. "Now you're ready."

Rufus returned her smile and walked arm-in-arm with her towards the stage. He ignored the stares and whispers as he and Tifa entered the view of the crowd. He ignored the flashes of cameras and microphones that were thrust his way or the way the Turks pushed the crowd back. The only thing he could see was the podium.

Television cameras all pointed in his direction as his face was projected onto the many large projector screens throughout the city. He was certain that the public and many news outlets had spotted the new jewelry that adorned Tifa's left hand. The thought brought a smile to his lips as he set the papers down on the podium and looked to his right where Tifa stood smiling at him encouragingly. Though he didn't look, he knew that Reeve and his wife stood to his left while Thomas, Eric and Chris were next to them. He could feel Yuffie's eyes staring holes into Tifa's ring and Emperor Godo's eyes burning holes into the back of his head, waiting until he got to the part on his speech about liberating Wutai. The crowd watched him silently anticipating the mere movement of his lips. It was time.

"Citizens of Gaia. I come here today to speak to you about a new era of unity and peace . . ."

And all of Gaia listened to his voice as he spoke of freedom, peace and choice. Historians would say that this day marked a turning point in the political world. However, the change was at least a year in the making when an arrogant young businessman bore witness to the near destruction of the world due to man's hubris. Sephiroth tried to eradicate all hope and dreams with Meteor. What Sephiroth didn't envision was that hope and dreams would overcome death and despair as Meteor became the catalyst the world needed to change for the better.

* * *

**Final A/N**: It's finally over. After seven years of writing I'm finally done with this story! I have no doubt that there are many continuity glitches in the story. I probably spelled some characters' names two different ways (i.e. Aeris, Aerith) and killed off characters from the game that didn't actually die (i.e. Tseng). I did start writing this long before they even announced Advent Children or any of the Compilation of FF7. I tried to not let the Compilation influence me too much in the direction the story was going to go because I had a pretty set plot. There were a few changes, such as changing Lucretia's character. I had originally had her to be much more likable; then I played Dirge of Cerberus.

I actually started this more on a whim when I was in a writing challenge mood to try and write a convincing Tifa pairing story. Tifa is my favorite character from the Final Fantasy series so I wanted to have some fun with that. The storyline with Rufus's half-brother was really intriguing so I went with that and what started as a fun story grew into a monster. I didn't realize the type of legs that this story would grow or that I would end up writing this much.

As much fun as it was writing it, I am glad that it's finally over. This story has weathered a lot through the ages. Throughout the culmination of writing this, I've gotten engaged, married and had a kid. Probably in a few years I'll reread the entire thing and fix all of the glaring errors that are in it (because there is no doubt in my mind that there are many). To end this rant, I'd like to thank everyone who has stayed with this story from the beginning or who may have joined in the middle. It's been a long journey, but I hoped you've enjoyed it.

-AchikaMiyu

List of known plot inconsistencies within the story:

-Chapter 2 Rufus said that he first met AVALANCHE during the time his father died. Chapter 18 where during the time when Rufus's father died he was drinking with Reno and half-brother with AVALANCHE

-Tina Cross v. Tina Carter (one of my OCs)

-Barrett v. Barret

-Ultima Blade v. Ultima Weapon (one is a sword Cloud can equip and the other is an enemy)

There are probably more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.


End file.
